


Flipped

by soaker87



Category: Spider Riders - All Media Types, スパイダーライダーズ ~オラクルの勇者たち | Spider Riders ~Oracle no Yuusha-tachi~
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Culture Shock, Disguise, F/M, Friendship, Interspecies Romance, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Older Man/Younger Woman, School, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 16:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6291919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaker87/pseuds/soaker87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Aqune is seeing visions of another world. Everything is turned inside out, as before Hunter comes to the Inner World, it comes to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Crosspost from ff.net. As the summary says, this is an AU. Honestly, it might be the weirdest thing I wrote for this fandom that isn't also crack fic. But I like trying out different ideas. This starts right before the series begins, and then goes off in its own direction.

**Ch1-**

She was chanting that same chant as usual, as he watched from a distance. A typical scene in Mantid's castle. Although Buguese despised Spirit Oracle, the cause of the darkness in his world, he couldn't disapprove of the girl's constant prayers to her. They were the only thing keeping the Insector world alive. It was clearly shown in the bright aura around Aqune, always shining though the dark. Of course, the importance behind it wasn't really the reason why he watched her. Maybe it was in the past, but not anymore. Though he hated to admit it, even to himself, he was truly charmed by the handmaiden's beauty. Aqune always looked so serene. Well, that was usually the case.

Today, again, Buguese could tell something was wrong. There was a definite feeling of unease in her motions, her posture. Whatever the reason, it was unlike the Aqune he was used to watching. He chose to come down from the balcony and confront her on this day. And that was the start of the change in everything.

"Buguese?" The girl paused from what she was doing and turned her head, having heard his approach.

"Aqune… I can't help but notice," he began. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"Oh…" she replied, not expecting to be asked that. "Well…"

The girl was silent for a moment. Yes, there was _something_ , but she wasn't sure what it even meant. If it were meaningless, was there any reason to waste Buguese's time explaining to him? Yet, on the other hand, maybe she'd feel better if she did just let it out. And Buguese was really the only person she felt comfortable enough around to tell.

"What?" Buguese asked, finally breaking the silence. "If it's nothing, then I'll go. You must continue chanting, and I wouldn't want to distract you from it."

"I'm sorry," replied Aqune, nervously. "You see, Buguese… lately I've been seeing these ominous visions."

"Ominous?" Buguese wondered. It was a kind of heavy word. "How so?"

"It's hard to explain," answered Aqune. "Maybe it's nothing bad after all. Just… like any ordinary dream. But in the visions I saw, there was this other world. It's a very different world from ours, where the sun is small, the sky is blue. There are only humans living there. Ordinary humans, without power. But then, I saw Insectors and Spider Riders suddenly appear in this world. Fighting breaks out, just like here. And there are Oracle Keys there too."

"Oracle Keys?!" That part struck Buguese more than the rest of her story. "A world of only humans…" he continued to ponder out loud. That sounded like it would be unpleasant.

Aqune simply nodded as he spoke.

"Could this place be the Outer World?" Buguese questioned.

"I don't know," Aqune replied. But the idea was interesting to her. She didn't know much about the world on the surface, but she had heard legends. The theory made some sense. "Whatever it is, I've seen these visions constantly in my meditations. There must be a reason behind it."

"Perhaps there is," Buguese answered. "But could Oracle Keys really be in the Outer World?" He stared at the lone Key in the orb which Aqune chanted in front of. That Key had been with them for a long time, but it was the only one of the four they'd managed to acquire.

Aqune gasped. "Is that even possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be? Spirit Oracle would do anything to stand in our way, dear Aqune. Even if it means hiding the remaining Oracle Keys in another world." Cynical, perhaps, but he had every reason to be that way.

"If that's true, then how will we be able to get those Keys?" asked Aqune, worriedly. As far as she knew, there was no way to travel between worlds. Aqune stood up from the ground, simply facing the Insector.

"There must be a way," Buguese declared, clenching his fists. He dreaded to even think of what would happen if there was not. "We should report this to Mantid-sama."

"Yes," Aqune replied.

As she was about to head out with Buguese, Aqune felt a sharp pain shoot through her head. Another vision? This time, it was the figure of an unfamiliar man. But somehow, this man was the most ominous thing of all.

"Aqune!" Buguese called, worried. The next thing Aqune realized, she was lying in Buguese's arms.

"Buguese… what happened?"

"You passed out," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Oh," Aqune mumbled. But she could still remember clearly what she saw.

"It was another vision. Of a human this time. However, I don't know who he was at all. But somehow, he was frightening."

Buguese attempted to process that. It was odd for her to be afraid of someone she didn't even recognize.

"I have no idea who this man could have been, but if the rest of what you saw is true, he may be an Earthen. Maybe even someone we need to find to help locate the Keys."

"I guess so," replied Aqune, although she still felt uncomfortable. None of her past visions had caused her to black out.

Buguese then headed to Mantid's chamber, helping support Aqune as she walked. Awkward as it was, he didn't want her collapsing again. Once they made it to the door, he moved her aside.

"Thank you," Aqune said, softly.

Buguese nodded in reply. He then stepped into his leader's chambers, without a further word.

"Ah, Buguese," said Mantid. "Do you have something to report?"

"Yes, Mantid-sama," he replied. "In Aqune's meditations, she claims to have seen visions of the Outer World. These also indicate that the remaining Oracle Keys may be hiding there."

"Is this true, Aqune?" Mantid questioned. Though his voice was intense as ever, he didn't seem to be at all surprised.

"Yes, I believe so," Aqune answered.

"I was afraid Spirit Oracle would play such an ironic trick," Mantid replied. "Nonetheless, even this barrier will not stand in our way. We will simply have to hurry there, and take the Keys before the humans learn of this."

"Forgive me for questioning, but how is that possible?" Buguese asked.

Mantid simply laughed in reply.

"I have known of a portal there for some time. There was simply no reason to make use of it yet."

Buguese and Aqune watched without questioning as Mantid displayed a map on one of his computer screens.

"At this location…" he pointed to a red dot, "Is a certain closed temple. Gather the rest of the Big Four. Rally any soldiers you can find, and bring them there, along with Aqune. I will head there shortly as well."

"Understood," Buguese answered. Although he replied quickly, in order not to show disobedience, Buguese did have a few concerns. First, was it alright to bring Aqune? Her purpose was to chant, and preserve the Insector world in doing so. Second, Mantid traveling on his own? It was merely a strange concept, as the Insector leader's body was very weak. Buguese couldn't even recall the last time Mantid left the castle for any reason. However, he had no reason to concern himself with these things now. He had orders to follow.

* * *

In Arachna, there lived a certain blue spider. Shadow called himself the strongest of all spider soldiers. Though he had taken out many Insectors who wandered into his part of the forest, and perhaps lived up to his name, he was a loner, not a joiner. Thus, he'd never partnered with a human.

On this day, Shadow was quietly patrolling the forest. And he saw something which would horrify most Arachnans. It took even him by surprise.

'That's a lot of Insectors,' he thought to himself, watching a long line of soldiers marching through. 'Guess it's up to me to take them down.' He wasn't intimidated. Rather, the idea sounded like a thrill.

The spider flew at them from the bushes, squashing a few soldiers on impact.

"S-spider!" they started yelling. A clear panic was spreading.

Shadow whipped at them with his threads, knocking more over. Some of them even started to run away in fear.

A captain who was with the group seemed irritated by this.

"Do not flee!" he shouted. "We were ordered to head to the temple. There's enough of us to take out one measly spider!"

"Sector!" they cried out in reply. The ones who could still fight aimed knives and spears at Shadow. While the spider was easily brushing most away, he was truly outnumbered. Some of the attacks did make contact.

"Hold it right there!"

Shadow was surprised to hear the voice of a young girl. He turned, only to see her firing an arrow, with the intensity to take out several of the enemy soldiers at once.

"No!" the captain shouted in horror. "Now a Spider Rider too?!" He was finally beginning to lose confidence in their chance of victory.

"I suppose I should thank you, but I have this under control," Shadow said, deciding to acknowledge the girl.

Her expression was a bit puzzled.

"That looked a little rough to me. Anyway, they have to be stopped. It will be quicker with my help."

Without acknowledging her again, Shadow leapt towards the captain. He quickly shot out more threads, which hit the target as planned.

"Take that!" Shadow said, smug. The man was twitching on the ground in pain.

"Mr. Spider, look!" called the girl. From the direction she pointed, more Insectors were coming onto the scene.

"My name is Shadow, and I'm perfectly capable of taking them," he yelled back.

"I'm Corona," answered the girl. "Hey, can you come over here, Shadow?"

"Fine," he decided. The next group of soldiers was still a distance away.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Corona asked.

"Not a clue," Shadow answered. "But I don't care what their objective is. All that matters is beating them."

"I know," Corona said. "I'm going to call for backup. I don't know why, but I get the feeling this is something really serious. Maybe we should stay back for now. It's just the two of us, since even my spider is on patrol somewhere else."

Shadow strongly wanted to object. But he had been stabbed a few times, and he was starting to feel it.

"Alright, fine," he decided. "But if they come for us, I'm going to fight back. They're no big deal."

"You're a stubborn one," Corona commented.

* * *

Buguese took the other Big Four generals, Aqune, and a small amount of soldiers on his personal transport. Naturally, they got to their destination faster than those traveling by land.

"So, why are we going to a planet full of smelly humans again?" Grasshop asked. "No offense to you Aqune, but most humans smell."

"Because the Oracle Keys are there, you moron," Beerain answered. "The better question is, why are we bringing you?"

"Hey! I'm one of the Big Four, chosen personally by Mantid-sama," boasted Grasshop.

"We are here," Buguese announced, annoyed by Grasshop but not caring to say anything to him.

After leaving the transport, the group approached the temple. Though the doors were locked, Stags easily just demolished them with a single strike of his sword.

The temple was dark and silent. There was dust everywhere. Clearly, it had been abandoned for a long time. But then, with no warning, a blinding light filled the temple. When it disappeared, the space was once again empty.

* * *

Where Corona and Shadow waited, Igneous and Lumen soon arrived on their spiders.

"Corona, what's the situation like?" Igneous asked, concerned. He noticed the unfamiliar spider, but said nothing on the matter. Spiders were allies to humans, after all.

"Large groups of Insectors keep coming through this area," Corona explained. "I couldn't take the risk of fighting so many, at least not without Venus, but I'm getting really worried."

"Well, I guess that's worthy of waking me up from my nap," Lumen complained. "But hey… forget Venus. Looks like you found yourself a new spider."

"I'm not her partner!" Shadow shouted. "I'm not any human's partner. I fight alone, because I don't need help."

"It seems now you're injured," Igneous commented. "It would be wise of you to stay out of this battle."

"Stay out of it?!" Shadow yelled. "It would be wise of you to get a better haircut, but it looks like you don't take advice either."

Both Lumen and Corona couldn't help but laugh at that comment, but Igneous seemed rather annoyed.

"Everyone, let's go!" he ordered.

Just then, Venus arrived.

"Great timing!" Corona exclaimed. She climbed onto her spider's back.

The three Riders, plus their new spider companion, ran as fast as they could in the direction the Insectors were headed. However, rather than engaging them, they decided to try and stay hidden in the forest. Igneous thought it would be best to find out where the enemy was going first.

"What is that?" Lumen asked in amazement. Finally, the temple was ahead of them. The Insectors kept entering.

"Why would they all want to go in there?" Igneous wondered.

"Obviously, there's something inside they want," Shadow stated. "And I think it's about time we find out what!" He began to run towards the temple.

"Hey, wait!" Corona called, but it was too late to stop him.

Sighing to herself, she followed after, the boys next joining suit.

Shadow had already trapped a group of Insectors in webbing outside, leaving an opening to the temple. The Riders stepped inside.

"There's no one in here!" Corona exclaimed. But they had no time to be stunned, as in an instant, they were consumed in light. And in that light, the shadow of a strange figure flew past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so now comes Hunter's debut into the story. I probably should have fit him into the first, seeing how he's the main character, but there was already too much else going on.

**Ch2-**

Corona, Lumen, Igneous and their spiders found themselves lying on the floor of a temple. Notably, a different temple than the one they had entered.

"What happened?" Corona wondered. As she tried to stand up, her body felt sore. Although it was fairly dark, she could tell she was a bit bruised up.

"I have no idea," replied Igneous, who was likewise mildly injured. "But it appears the Insectors are gone."

"Well, most of them," Lumen added. He pointed to where some Insector soldiers laid on the floor a distance away. They appeared to be unconscious.

"They're not the only ones who are gone," Venus said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Corona asked, glancing around. But then she realized. "Shadow! Where did he go?"

"We can find him later," Igneous spoke. "For now, let's get out of here. Waiting around is useless in a situation like this."

"If we must," Lumen replied.

When they stepped outside, all of them were only further shocked. They appeared to be in a mountainous area, surrounded by woods. But that much was reasonable. The Inner World itself had mountains, and plenty of trees. The immediate problem was the sky.

"Th-the sun… it's…" Igneous stuttered.

"And a blue sky?" Corona wondered.

"Perhaps we're dead," Lumen suggested. "But I always thought the afterlife would be full of cute girls."

"This isn't the afterlife!" Igneous argued. Or at least, he doubted it. It wasn't like any of them had any idea what it was.

* * *

Most of the Insectors were gathered further off in the mountains. Mantid was there with them now, having arrived after as he planned.

"So the Spider Riders followed us here," Mantid spoke. "A setback, but not one which can't be handled."

"But how could they have found out?" Buguese asked, clearly irritated.

"That I do not know," answered Mantid. "But we will not be dealing with them just yet. They are injured, and there is somewhere we must head. A base, which has been prepared for us."

"You prepared a base already? How?" Grasshop asked. Others were curious too, but unwilling to speak out against Mantid.

"My wisdom far exceeds your own, Grasshop," he replied. "Now, we must hurry and reach it before any unwanted humans appear, be they Spider Riders or Earthens."

* * *

"Oh man! What was that?" Shadow was rushing through the woods, as quickly as he could manage. He was tired, but couldn't let that hold him back.

Just as soon as they had entered the temple, there was a large blast. It was definitely an intentional attack. Insectors were quickly running from the scene. They must have known about it. But Shadow and the Spider Riders were right in its range. Although he was as stunned as the rest, Shadow was the only one who made it out. He did hope those others were alright, but didn't feel the need to stick around. It wasn't like they were his friends.

'I don't even have a clue where I am,' he thought to himself. That was the larger problem.

* * *

Ugh. Another boring day of school. Those were the thoughts in Hunter Steele's mind. That morning, he left the house at usual, his grandfather's journal clutched in his arms.

'One day…' he thought to himself. 'One day, I'll find the Inner World. I'll prove you were right, Gramps!'

His grandfather may have died, but not Hunter's memories of him, or of the stories about that strange underground world he once lived in. The journal Trigger Steele left behind was the last piece of evidence that all of it was real. But no one was willing to believe it. Not Hunter's peers, not even his own parents. He was all alone in this endeavor.

His feet dragged as he made his way towards the school building. He really didn't feel like attending, even more than usual.

'Maybe I'll just take a little detour,' he decided. The boy instead turned for the nearby woods. 'If I'm late, I'll just say I overslept.' Not that he was proud to admit it, but that had happened before. His first period teacher would believe it.

"It'll be alright," Hunter commented out loud, as he walked through the woods. "…Ow! Or not."

Hunter had tripped over something hard, and ended up on the floor.

'Probably a root,' he thought to himself, but he looked at the offending object anyway.

"Huh?" What he saw was round like a root, but it was also silver and shiny. "I wonder what this is."

Hunter kneeled down next to it, and started digging with his hands.

'Hmm… this is pretty weird. It looks ancient.' He held the object, which he deducted to be an oversized bracelet, in his hand. 'Well if it's jewelry, I guess I don't really need it.'

Just as he was about to put it down, the bracelet opened up, and latched itself onto his arm.

"Huh? Hey!" Hunter grabbed at it, struggling to pull it off. "It won't open!"

* * *

"What?" Corona gasped. A weird feeling came over her, like nothing she'd experienced before.

"Are you alright?" Igneous asked, surprised by how startled she sounded.

"Yeah," she answered. "But something just happened. I'm going to find out what. Wait here!" At that, she ran off abruptly.

"Prince, we're going after her," Igneous decided. "This is surprisingly rash behavior for Corona, so it must be serious."

"No, let's wait here," Lumen said.

"Why?" asked Igneous, though he didn't desire disobeying his prince.

"Corona will contact us if something happens. I'm sure," Lumen answered. "Besides, we don't know where we are. It's best if all of us don't end up getting completely lost here."

* * *

Aqune, too, felt a reaction.

"Something's awakened," she spoke.

"What?" Buguese glanced at her, curiously.

"A new Spider Rider…" Aqune continued. She could clearly feel it.

Obviously, as Buguese and Aqune were near him, Mantid overheard.

"It seems Spirit Oracle will do anything in her power to stop us," Mantid said. "Even giving her power to an Earthen."

"An Earthen?" asked Buguese.

"Who else could it have been? It would be difficult for even Aqune to sense such an occurrence, unless it happened in this world," Mantid answered. "Now, Grasshop…" He pointed to the bug.

"Yes, Mantid-sama?" he answered.

"Go and find this new Spider Rider, and be rid of him. He can't be very skilled."

"Yes, of course!" Grasshop said, glad to be chosen for something important. "But… where do I find him?"

"Aqune, tell us where you sensed this," ordered Mantid.

Although she felt uneasy about it, Aqune realized she wasn't in any position to object.

"I don't know exactly, but… down this way," she pointed. "I think… in the forest." That was a sort of vague answer, but it was hard for her to actually pinpoint the location on the spot. Normally, she would have to chant for a while and concentrate on a presence.

* * *

It didn't take long for Hunter to lose interest in the strange bracelet on his arm, as he was struck with a much bigger concern. A huge blue spider was running in his direction.

"Maybe I should have gone to school today," he mumbled to himself, and then took off in the opposite direction. Or, he tried to. But he had run into a much thicker part of the forest. He was basically cornered.

"Never give up!" the boy reminded himself. He couldn't become helpless.

On the floor, he saw a large branch, which he grabbed.

"I'm not afraid of you, Spider!" Not entirely true, but he wasn't going to let the spider know that.

Hunter charged at the spider with the stick. However, Shadow grabbed it in his webs, ripping it right from Hunter's hand.

"Seriously?" Hunter sighed, as he tried to think quickly. "Well, you are a bug. Maybe you squash!" He jumped up, landing on Shadow's enormous back. However, it was much too hard to be at all affected by Hunter's body weight. He was more likely the one to be crushed to death by the size of Shadow, if he wasn't careful.

"How dare you board me?!" Shadow yelled. He easily shook the boy off of him. But as Hunter fell, Shadow took note of just what was on his arm. It was the last thing he was expecting to encounter. "You wear a manacle?"

"Yeah!" Hunter shouted. He was annoyed, and wanted to keep sounding tough before this enemy. "Wait. What's a manacle?"

"That bracelet you're wearing!" Shadow replied, glaring. "Everyone knows what a manacle is! It means you're a Spider Rider."

"A Spider Rider… Wait!" It was finally then when the biggest elephant in the room hit him. "Why is a spider talking?"

"What's wrong with that?" Shadow asked.

"Well… I've never seen a spider talk before!" Hunter shot back. "Nor have I seen one as big as you."

"If you don't know anything, it's clear that you're not a real Spider Rider!" Shadow declared. "Just some imposter! So it's my duty to defeat you."

"Shadow, stop!"

Corona ran towards the two. By the same weird feeling she had gotten before, she somehow knew exactly where to find them.

"Who's she?" Hunter wondered. She seemed kind of pretty, he thought, not that he was into that sort of stuff.

"A real Spider Rider!" Shadow answered. "Not some imposter like you!"

Before Hunter could say anything to argue (which he certainly wanted to do), Corona spoke again.

"Hey, who are you?" she asked.

"Uhh… Hunter Steele is my name," he replied. "But this is getting too weird. What's a Spider Rider anyway?"

"Spider Riders are heroes," Corona said. She too was a bit puzzled that Hunter didn't know. Then again, she also acknowledged that they were in some strange place now, which certainly wasn't Arachna. "Hunter, can you tell us where we are?" she added.

"Uh… in the woods." He looked at them, still totally confused.

"Of course we're in the woods," said Shadow, annoyed. "Can you tell us more? Because clearly, this is not like any place I've seen in the Inner World."

"The Inner World?!" Hunter almost fell from the shock of hearing those words. "You know about it?!"

"Obviously," Shadow replied. "We're from it."

"Th-then… it's real?!" Hunter wasn't even sure how to put his excitement into words. Of course he always believed it was real, but this was actual proof.

"Of course it's real, Hunter," said Corona. "If you don't know about it… could you be an Earthen?" Corona wasn't sure what the surface world was like, but it was the only other world she'd heard about.

"An Earthen?!" Shadow yelled. "Then this could definitely be a problem." There was that nasty little prophecy about an Earthen bringing calamity to the Inner World. Because of that, Shadow distrusted them as a whole, even if he'd never met one.

"I'm not a problem," Hunter said. "Yeah, this is Earth. But… please take me to the Inner World!"

"Sadly, I don't know if that's possible," replied Corona. "We were following Insectors, and we suddenly found ourselves transported here."

"I see," replied Hunter, even though he still didn't totally see. He was almost disappointed, but that only lasted for a moment.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't go to school today! Now I know it's real for sure. Gramps was right! And I get to be a hero?!" He was practically glowing.

"Mhm," said Corona. She found his excitement a bit curious, but endearing.

"You're no hero," said Shadow.

"What do you mean?!" argued Hunter. "She said Spider Riders are heroes!"

"Sector!" Battle cries could be heard in the distance, as enemies drew closer.

"Oh no! Insectors!" Corona yelled. "Venus, are you ready?"

"Yes," replied the spider.

"Oracle's Soul!" Hunter could only watch in awe as Corona was transformed to full battle armor. She even had tiny wings.

"I found you, Spider Riders!" Grasshop declared. The coward he was, he was at the rear of his group.

"What are you Insectors doing in this world?!" Corona demanded, as she fired her arrows, taking out several of the approaching soldiers.

"You're so unwelcoming," commented Grasshop. "But don't worry. I was polite enough to bring a gift. Come, Machine-Sector!"

Out from a small orb, a giant mechanical bug emerged. It was much bigger than even Shadow, to Hunter's surprise. Then again, everything that had been happening in the last several minutes was surprising to him.

"You guys can fight too!" Corona called, a bit nervous herself from the size of it.

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked.

Before answering, Corona had to fire at more grunts. At least she'd finally gotten them out of the way.

"Hunter, you're a new Spider Rider, and Shadow, you don't have a partner. To be real Spider Riders, you have to come together."

"With him?!" both replied in unison, a bit disturbed by the idea.

"You respond together. You're a perfect pair," Corona said.

"This is easier than I thought," Grasshop commented out loud. "They're just gonna get crushed while they fight each other."

The machine made its way in their direction. Corona fired at it from a distance, but it simply kept moving.

Hunter braced himself. He wasn't going to give up, but he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do.

"Yell 'Oracle's Power'," said Shadow, grudgingly. "Then get on my back."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch3-**

True, Hunter wasn't thrilled to take advice from the giant spider who attacked him and was treating him so rudely. But what else was there to do?

"Oracle's power!" he called.

The next thing he realized, bright flashing lights appeared all around Hunter. Over his body, blue armor began to form.

"Cool!" was all he could think to say once it was done. He was just like Corona now, albeit with a color he liked better. He had wondered for a moment if he'd come out wearing pink too, but he supposed it was different for every Rider.

"You transformed too?!" Grasshop shouted. "Okay, now you guys are cheating! Can you at least wait your turn?"

"Shut up!" Hunter yelled, as he hopped onto Shadow's back. This was an annoying opponent, if anything.

The spider ran up to the machine. Hunter leapt to the air, and threw his weapon down at it, hoping to slash it. But all he managed was to make a slight dent. He was thrown down on his back. He did manage to land on Shadow at least.

"The only reason I partnered with this human was so that I could win!" Shadow yelled, annoyed. He attempted to ram the machine head-on. Although the Machine-Sector appeared to lose balance for a moment, it quickly caught itself, and swiped at Shadow with its pincers.

Witnessing this happen, though, gave Corona an idea.

"Venus! Shadow!" she called. "Try to bind it with your spider threads."

"Alright!" said Venus.

"Got it," Shadow followed.

"Spider Thread!" The two spiders launched webbing from either side. As it tried desperately to break loose, the Machine-Sector began to tilt around.

'They're trying to weaken its balance?' Hunter wondered.

"Now, Hunter! Attack with everything you've got!" Shadow yelled.

'With all I've got?' Hunter thought. Well what was that? His attack earlier really didn't do anything. But if he was a hero, he had to have a better move than that. Some sort of really cool finisher. Then, it suddenly came from him, as if it was something he'd known all along.

"Full Air!"

A powerful strike came from his pike. At the same time, one of Corona's arrows also hit the Machine-Sector. Unable to evade, it burst on impact and fell to pieces.

"Yeah, we did it!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Seeing that bug fall almost made teaming up with you worth it," replied Shadow, as a sort of backhanded compliment.

"Hey!" Hunter said. "You didn't even throw the finishing blow. I did."

"You guys…" Corona said, with a sigh. But she then turned her head to Grasshop, who was twitching in irritation.

"How dare you?! That Machine-Sector was really hard to make!"

"Grasshop, tell us! What are you Insectors doing in the Outer World?" she asked, ignoring his complaints.

"That's not any of your business," answered Grasshop. "But we're the ones with the right to be mad. You weren't supposed to follow us."

At that, Grasshop took off at light-speed. Any soldiers who were still able to followed behind him.

"Well, that didn't help us," said Corona with disappointment.

"Hey, what were those Insector things anyway?" asked Hunter. "I guess they were the bad guys, if we're the heroes, but… they're pretty weird looking."

"Yes, they're our enemies," Corona replied. "So it's up to humans… well, Spider Riders that is, and spiders to defeat them."

"But spiders are bugs too," Hunter said. "Why are they on our side?"

"Don't compare us to Insectors!" yelled Shadow. "We may be bugs, but we too want to defend our home and live peacefully. A home we can't even get back to now."

"Alright, I think I follow," Hunter said.

"Hunter, I'm sorry you had to get caught up in this," Corona spoke. She guessed this would be a lot for a newcomer to handle.

"Hey, don't apologize," said Hunter. "This is exactly the adventurous life I dreamed of having… minus actually being in the Inner World."

"By the way, how do you know about the Inner World?" began Corona. "Wait, I'm getting way ahead of myself, asking questions when we haven't even been properly introduced. I'm Corona, and this is my partner, Venus."

"Nice to meet you," said Venus.

"I'm Hunter Steele. Well, I told you that already. And the reason I know about the Inner World is because my grandfather went there before."

"I am Shadow, the strongest spider soldier, and I'm still not sold on this partner thing. Especially if I have to partner with an Earthen."

"You know, there are actually more of us here," Corona said. "Why don't I take you to meet them? They're probably getting worried now."

"Umm… alright," Hunter decided.

* * *

The Insectors were brought to a large gated mansion up in the mountains. It was probably at least near the size of their old castle, and certainly a lot more inviting-looking from the outside. Certainly, it would be roomy enough. There were places for all the soldiers to stay on the ground floor. A lab for developing Machine-Sectors, training grounds, even oddities no one really had a use for, like an indoor pool.

As for the Big Four, they were to live on the second floor. Buguese and Aqune were given a room to share. It was a very large room, and there was actually a near-opaque curtain dividing it. The logic behind this setup was so that Buguese could keep watch over Aqune, his servant. But both of them still found it a bit awkward, being of the opposite gender. Actually, 'a bit' might have been an understatement.

Aqune sat on the edge of her bed, wondering to herself. Rooming arrangements aside, was it appropriate for her to even be there? Her purpose was to chant, keeping the Insector world sustained. But now that she was far away from that world, what would happen to it? On top of that, she was even more worried with the knowledge that the Spider Riders were on the surface too. Fighting would be inevitable, and that would also make finding the Oracle Keys more difficult.

"Oh, Portia…" she stared down at the purple spider at her feet. "What is going to happen?"

* * *

Soon, Hunter's group arrived at the temple.

"Corona, you're safe!" Igneous exclaimed. He had been less hopeful than Lumen about ever seeing her again. But his mind shifted elsewhere when he noticed Hunter. "Who is this?"

"Let me introduce you to the newest Spider Rider," Corona said with a smile. "His name is Hunter Steele."

"A new Spider Rider?" Igneous asked. "But how?"

"He's an Earthen," Corona explained. "And right now, we're on Earth."

"Earth?!" Igneous wondered, a bit horrified.

"Well, this is a drag," Lumen commented. "By the way, Hunter Steele. If you're a Spider Rider, then where is your spider?"

"Oh," Hunter said. Staring at his manacle, he looked a bit embarrassed. "Hey, Corona, how do I get the spider out of the manacle?"

On the way there, Corona had taught him how to put the spider inside. It made transportation easier for the large spiders in the woods.

Hunter found the entire concept of manacle space puzzling, but he was glad to have a way to get Shadow away from him, even though it didn't succeed in shutting him up.

"'Spider out' of course," Corona answered. But the things she thought were straightforward probably weren't to him, she realized.

"Shadow, spider out!" Hunter said. And the giant blue spider emerged. "But for the record, he's not really my spider."

"Thank you," Shadow answered. "Smartest thing this human, who is _not_ my partner, has said all day."

"Oh, it's you!" Lumen said. "Well, nice to meet you once again, Shadow. I am Prince Lumen of Arachna. And this is Igneous, a knight of Arachna. Our spiders are Ebony and Flame here, but don't expect them to say anything."

"Hey, why are you introducing yourself to Shadow and not me?" Hunter wondered.

"Oh. Well, hello," Lumen said. "Sorry, but a spider like this one is a lot more interesting than you. He looks very strong."

"Indeed I am," answered Shadow, as Hunter glared silently. "I'm powerful all on my own."

Igneous, who had said nothing to either Spider or Rider, could merely watch the two with concern.

'A spider and a Rider who don't see each other as partners…' he thought to himself. 'Teammates like that will only serve to hinder us.' He couldn't keep silent, he realized.

"Hunter Steele! Shadow! Flame and I challenge you to a duel. Prove to me that you're worthy of your title."

* * *

"So Grasshop was defeated?" A messenger bug hovered in front of Mantid. The Insector leader reached out, clasping the bug gently in his hands. "Deliver a message to Buguese. I must learn more about this new Spider Rider."

When Buguese finally received the bug's message, he was rather shocked by the contents. Nonetheless, he wasn't about to disobey any order that came from Mantid.

Buguese threw open the curtain, only realizing after that he likely should have told Aqune he was entering first. Aqune jumped, not really expecting this.

"Excuse me, Aqune," he said.

"No, it's fine," replied the girl. "There's something you need?"

"Yes," said Buguese. "Mantid-sama is requesting that you become close to the new Earthen Spider Rider. You are to serve as a spy, and deliver any information you can find that may help us. Thus, you must pretend to be an Earthen too, and start attending his school."

"What?" Aqune didn't mean to question Buguese, but she was certainly surprised by such an order. "Uhh.. I mean… yes. If you say so."

"I understand that this is strange. And that you should be focused on finding the remaining Oracle Keys. But hopefully, it will not be for long," Buguese answered. "And… I was ordered to accompany you."

Aqune could just stare in confusion.

"B-But… you're an Insector. How could you pretend to be an Earthen?"

"Given the proper disguise, it will be easy enough," he answered. Aqune could tell from his voice that he was very unhappy about the idea, however. "I will see you tomorrow, Aqune," he added, and walked out, closing the curtain behind him.

'Buguese as a human?' Aqune wondered to herself. It was true that Buguese did look more human than any other Insector she'd seen. But on the other hand, he did have blue skin, and antennae. He clearly wasn't human. It was kind of hard to picture.

At least thinking of that helped distract her from her growing list of concerns. Stressed, the girl laid down on the bed.

'Going to school… as a spy? Spirit Oracle, I hope this ends well, for both the humans and the Insectors.'

* * *

Neither Hunter nor Shadow were expecting Igneous' challenge.

"Hey, what do you mean? I beat a Machine-Sector just before," Hunter argued. "Doesn't that make me worthy?"

"I would have beaten that machine effortlessly if I was at full strength. I only teamed up with you out of desperation," Shadow said.

"Let's begin," Igneous declared, ignoring their banter. "Oracle's Spirit!" Now, he too was in battle armor. He jumped onto Flame's back.

"Alright, then take this!" Hunter ran at Igneous, swinging his pike. Flame quickly jumped to avoid the hit. Then Igneous knocked Hunter to the ground with a swing of his own sword.

Grunting, Hunter stood up.

"I'm not going to give up."

But before Hunter could even make another move, Shadow jumped in. However, a simple shot of web from Flame pushed him away.

"Hey! Get out of my way!" Hunter yelled to his not-partner, and charged in again, only to be repelled the same way as the last time.

"This time for sure!" he said in annoyance, trying again. Shadow also moved in. This time, Flame knocked away the both of them one at a time.

'H-how can I win?' Hunter thought.

In his head, he attempted to replay the fight with the Machine-Sector.

'Igneous isn't even giving me a chance to use that cool attack again.' He shook his head. 'It wasn't just that. The reason I won is because Shadow and I worked together… the way Igneous and Flame are now.'

"Hunter," Corona said worriedly, seeing the boy stand once more. It was a rather painful fight to watch.

"Shadow!" Hunter called. "Let's fight together!"

"Wh-what do you mean?!" asked Shadow.

"That's how we can win," Hunter said. "If we're gonna be fighting really dangerous enemies from now on, let's put our differences aside and work as partners."

Shadow quickly tried to think of an argument, but none came to him. He knew Hunter was right this time.

"Alright, Hunter. Let's be partners, and let's win!"

"Yeah!" Hunter hopped onto Shadow's back. The spider moved towards Igneous and Flame, ready to attack.

"Stop!" Igneous declared.

"Huh?" answered Hunter and Shadow in unison, but they did comply.

"This duel wasn't about winning or losing," Igneous stated. "Of course, that is what I wanted you to think." Smiling, he stepped off of Flame, and walked towards Hunter.

"Hunter Steele, Shadow. In this situation, we need your help more than anything. All I want is for the two of you to always fight as a team. We can't have you fighting each other in the middle of a battle against Insectors."

Hunter and Shadow stared at each other.

"We were tricked?" Shadow wondered.

"Yeah, but we both fell for it," said Hunter. "We kind of are alike. Guess the two of us really are partners."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Just, for the record, this is not going to turn into a high school (err… middle school?) AU, with all the associated clichés. More like, the school aspect was just thrown in for kicks, and realism, since Hunter is a teenager in the real world, and it's really not that important to the overall plot.

**Ch4-**

Lumen was glad that the matter of Hunter and Shadow's teamwork had been settled. However, that didn't help at all to soothe the biggest concern on his mind.

"Alright, so we're in the Outer World, but we belong in the Inner World. How do you suppose we get back?"

"That is a valid concern, but our priority now is stopping the Insectors who are here," replied Igneous.

"Fine. Well… what about after that? Any ideas?" continued the prince.

"Maybe there's a clue in the temple," Corona wondered out loud. "We came in from there, so there could be some kind of portal."

"Well, let's look!" Hunter suggested. "Never give up!"

And so, the group began searching through the mountain temple. Although it still hadn't likely been used in a long time, it was a lot nicer than the abandoned one in Arachna. It was still rather dark, but oddly enough, this temple actually had running water. But sadly, there was no portal to be found.

"So now what?" asked Corona in disappointment. "Does this mean we have to live here?"

"Living inside the temple wouldn't be so bad, but camping in the woods… especially at night…" Just thinking about it brought a chill down Igneous' spine.

"It's not too hard to live off the land, guys," Hunter said. "As an adventurer, that's what I thrive for."

"That's good for you. But we lived in a castle," Lumen spoke. "And… and Sparkle is still there. Oh, I hope she'll be alright without us."

'I hope you'll be alright without her,' Corona thought to herself.

"Who's Sparkle?" Hunter asked.

"The princess of Arachna," Igneous answered. "She's Lumen's little sister, and also the youngest Spider Rider."

"Oh, wow! So there's even more of us?" asked Hunter.

"I guess that's possible, but she's the only one we know of," Corona replied.

Hunter suddenly looked nervous.

"Well, speaking of family members, I wonder if my parents are angry at me for skipping school. Or… maybe they didn't find out," he added the last part hopefully. But normally, absences would be reported to the parents.

"You go to school?" wondered Corona.

"Uh… yeah," Hunter said. "Don't you?"

"Actually, no," Corona said.

"You don't have to go to school in the Inner World?!" Hunter exclaimed. "Then, do they even have schools? That's so cool!"

"There actually are schools," Igneous responded. "But they're mainly for studying specific trades. I have heard of some more general schools, but in the Inner World, most of us start training to keep up family trades from a young age."

"What's school like?" Corona asked.

"It's really boring," Hunter replied. "You sit through lectures, take really hard tests, write essays and then they give you a ton more work to do at home… which I forgot to do last night. Now I'm even happier I missed school."

"I'd kind of like to try school and see what it's like," Corona replied.

"I don't think that's possible," Hunter replied, skeptical of the idea. "If you tried to register, they'd probably want to know where you came from. That would bring up some problems." That quickly brought another issue to his mind. "Oh, guys! If you meet any other Earthens, don't let them know you're Spider Riders. People hate spiders in this world, so I think it would get weird and messy. Or, it would turn out like some science fiction movie, where they think you're aliens and capture you to do weird experiments."

"Well, what are _we_ supposed to do?" asked Shadow, a bit annoyed. Spider Riders could pose as normal humans, but giant spiders... not so much.

"Stay in the manacle at all times," Hunter replied. "Unless we're away from other people, like right now. Spider in." Shadow was retracted into the manacle.

"I guess that's wise," he mumbled. "But only because I don't want to be experimented on." Now, he was even more anxious to get back home.

"Okay, I've really got to go now!" Hunter called. "But I'll definitely be back. Maybe I can smuggle you guys something good to eat."

* * *

Although Hunter didn't expect this, Corona wound up accompanying him back to the town. She had said she was just curious about everything. Hunter didn't mind her company, and he certainly would have been curious too in her place.

"Hold it!" The two were stopped when an angry looking man called to them.

"Uh… that's the principal," Hunter whispered to Corona.

"Hunter Steele! Cutting classes again?" he asked sternly. "And all to hang out with your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Hunter exclaimed in his defense, though both he and Corona were blushing a bit from the accusation.

"Who is she, anyway?" asked the principal. "Not a student here, I believe." He was staring Corona down.

"She's… a relative!" Hunter decided. It was the best he could think of on the spot. Corona looked at him in confusion, but figured leaving the situation for him to handle would be best. "Corona lives very far away, but she's staying in the area for a while. I missed classes today to help her move in."

"I see," said the principal, but he sounded doubtful.

"I'm going to start attending school here too!" Corona declared. Now it was Hunter's turn to be surprised.

"Alright. Then I'll gladly arrange for that, and the both of you had better be here bright and early tomorrow," he answered, then quickly walked away.

"That was close," Hunter said. "I thought he was going to kill me. But, Corona… why did you say that?"

"For strategy," she answered, smiling. "If the both of us have to pretend not to be Spider Riders, but something happens when you're in school, you'll need someone to help cover for you. If there's unavoidable danger, the two of us can fight together if we stay close."

"I see!" Hunter said. Also, he wasn't expecting the principal to just register a strange student. Maybe he was a bit too enthusiastic about his job. "Well, thanks Corona. Although, if you really go to school with me, you're going to be pretty bored."

* * *

The next day at school was naturally an unusual one. However, a surprise awaited both Hunter and Corona. Not one, but two new students were standing in front of the chalkboard, waiting to be introduced.

The other, of course, was Aqune. She was dressed a bit differently, wearing a plain black t-shirt in place of her normal Insector-print shirt. However, she still sported the very long earrings.

'That girl… she's also a Spider Rider,' Aqune thought to herself. She could sense the power from Corona. 'Hmm…'

"Class…" the teacher announced. "Today we have two new transfer students. Please, introduce yourselves." She first pointed to Corona.

"Hello…" she spoke nervously, not really expecting her entrance to include introducing herself to an audience."My name is Corona. I just moved here. My hobby is cooking. Nice to meet all of you." Then, she took a seat right behind Hunter.

"Good morning everyone," Aqune was next. "I'm Aqune. I came here from Alaska. Cooking is also my hobby. Hopefully, we can all be good friends."

She then moved to a seat in the back. However, she made sure she could see Hunter well enough, and Corona too.

'They seem normal enough,' she thought to herself. She'd never met another Spider Rider before, so she wasn't sure what to think. 'I wonder how Buguese is doing.'

Buguese and Aqune were put in separate grades. Technically, both of them were older than Hunter. But it was easier for Aqune to pass herself off as his age, and things would look less suspicious this way. However, Buguese's human disguise was quite an impressive one. His skin was the same color as Aqune's. His hair was blonde now, and no longer tied up in a ponytail. He was dressed in human clothes, and any bug features weren't visible. He even looked a bit younger. Whoever arranged for all of that was indeed talented, Aqune thought.

* * *

When it was time for lunch period, Hunter and Corona sat next to each other.

"I can't believe there was another transfer student besides you," Hunter commented. "That's pretty rare."

"She seemed nice though," said Corona.

"So, you also like to cook?" To both their surprises, Aqune was standing behind them.

"Oh… yeah," Corona answered. "But I think I still have a lot to learn."

"Maybe we can exchange recipes, or cook something together one day. Your name is Corona, right?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you remembered," the blonde girl said.

"And you are?" Aqune asked, pointing to Hunter.

"Hunter," he said. "Hunter Steele. It's nice to meet you, Aqune."

'He remembered her name too?' Corona thought.

"I suppose you don't also like cooking?" Aqune asked. It would be strange if all three of them did. "What do you like?"

"Adventure!" Hunter answered.

"I see," Aqune said. "I haven't had much adventure. But, now I'm in a strange new place. I guess that's like an adventure."

"What was it like in Alaska?" asked Hunter.

"Cold," she said. "And dark, sometimes even in the day." It was kind of like the Insector world. Well, that's what she was told about it. The main difference being, sometimes it was always light, while the Insector world was always dark all year round.

Thinking of Insectors, Aqune turned her head. She could see Buguese, who was glaring at them from a distance away.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Hunter asked.

"No," said Aqune. "I'm just a little tense. All this new material to learn is really hard." She felt bad about having to lie, but she really was confused by a lot of the material, having never been schooled formally herself.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Corona said. "Where I came from, we didn't have to learn any of this."

"I've been going to school here all my life, and I still have trouble," Hunter admitted. Of course, that was partially because he was so bored with it, he often didn't bother.

"I know," Aqune said. "Maybe we should get together and study It might not be as fun as adventuring, but it will help us all."

"That might be a good idea," Hunter said. As long as they had time between actual classes and battles with Insectors, anyway.

"Well, alright," Corona decided, though the idea bothered her a bit.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Corona.

"Why not?" Hunter asked.

"She's just a normal girl," Corona said. "If she spends time with us, what if she finds out who we really are?"

"Hmm… I didn't think of that," said Hunter. "Well, she seems really nice. Hopefully, we have nothing to worry about."

* * *

"Aqune, you seem to be enjoying yourself." Buguese's voice sounded bothered. The two of them had met outside the building after school.

"Yeah," she answered. "We're going to start hanging out to study. That way, I'll also be getting closer to them. Do you want to join us?"

"Definitely not," he answered. "But do what you like. Report anything interesting you find to me."

"Yes, I understand," Aqune answered.

* * *

The next day of school began as routine. There were no new transfer students, just classes and work. At lunch, the three Riders arranged to have their first study session after the day's classes. After all, a big math test was coming up.

Before going to meet the others in the classroom, Aqune was approached by Buguese.

"There is something you should know," the Insector began. He looked quite serious.

"Yes?" Aqune wondered.

"An attack was planned for today, on this very school."

"Why?!" Aqune exclaimed. She clenched her hands together, worriedly.

"So we can face Hunter Steele," Buguese answered. "At the very least, we can get a better gauge on his power. He is staying here today, correct?"

"Yes," Aqune said.

"Now that you're aware, be careful," Buguese warned.

'Aqune…' he thought to himself, as the girl left, clearly concerned. He didn't think she cared as much about her mission as she did for making actual friends. Perhaps that was natural.

* * *

"I guess we should wait until Aqune gets here," Corona commented. She and Hunter were alone in an empty classroom. In a way, she wouldn't have minded if it stayed that way, not that she disliked Aqune.

"Yeah, but I wonder what's holding her up," Hunter said.

Then, all of a sudden, something crashed into the window from outside. Or rather, quite a lot of somethings.

"Buzzrays!" Corona exclaimed.

"What are they?" Hunter replied, but could tell they were trouble even if he wasn't familiar with them.

"Quick, lock the door!"

Hunter did so, as Corona transformed herself. She then began to try and swat away the incoming swarm of bugs.

"Hang on!" Hunter yelled, also transforming.

From a distance outside the school, Beerain was watching. She was the one who had summoned the Buzzrays.

'Good,' she thought to herself. 'I found them.'

Aqune finally reached the classroom. Although the shut door helped to mute the sound of the fight, she peered through the glass to witness what was going on.

'I can't interfere…' she told herself. 'But…'

Worriedly, she continued just staring.

Hunter slashed, while Corona swatted. She thought actually firing arrows would do too much damage to the room. Not that the Buzzrays weren't causing damage themselves.

"It's no use…" Corona decided. They had to hurry and finish this. The impact from the arrow she finally shot took out several Buzzrays. However, it also took the door.

Aqune darted back as it fell. She had the reflexes, so that was no problem. But her presence was then revealed to those inside. They could only stare.

"Aqune…" Hunter said nervously. "I… I can explain later. Just run!" Hunter turned, and began to hit more Buzzrays.

"Run… where?" Aqune asked out loud. She didn't want to just leave them, but her inability to act and risk exposing her own identity made it pointless for her to stay.

'That's… Aqune?' Beerain noticed. 'I don't think she can interfere, but that also makes her vulnerable.' That was actually a strategy. She signaled to the Buzzrays. "Attack her!"

As Aqune was about to run, she was surprised that a stream of Buzzrays came after her.

"Oh no!" Hunter yelled. "Corona, hurry!"

"Right," said Corona.

As Aqune did her best to stay a step ahead, the two Riders hit the Buzzrays with all they had. At last, they had fallen.

Frustrated, Beerain flew away.

"Aqune, are you alright?" Hunter asked. He and Corona approached her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She wasn't even scratched. "Thanks to you two. But you're going to have to explain… and maybe clean this up." She noticed the mess of Buzzray corpses on the floor. Those would definitely be very suspicious if left around.

"At least nobody else saw," Corona sighed. It was fortunate that the halls were pretty empty, as most students had already left school, or were in their club rooms for after school activities. "Alright, let's take care of it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch5**

Aqune sat on the corner of her bed, facing Buguese the next morning. The curtain between them was opened.

"So, you aren't hurt?"

"No," Aqune said, smiling at him reassuringly. She had been attempting to recount what she had witnessed at school. But Buguese seemed rather bothered by the part where she was chased by Buzzrays.

"Good, then," he answered. "But I told you to be careful. You can't fight, so you should have stayed away."

"At least now I don't have to hide that I know who they are," replied Aqune. "That must have an advantage."

"I suppose," Buguese answered. "But they told you nothing else?"

"Actually, they explained a little more," she responded. She wasn't sure if it was actually anything useful, however. "They said that they came here from another world. And I got to meet their spiders."

Buguese noted the fact that Hunter omitted actually being an Earthen. Not that it mattered either way.

"What was his spider like?" he simply asked.

"Well, I didn't get to see him in actual combat. But the spider… Shadow looked to be a very well-rounded type. I can at least tell that he believes himself to be powerful."

"Hmm… I see," Buguese replied. "Thank you." He walked closer to the girl, and gently brushed at her hair with his fingers. He still was concerned for her. Surprised by this gesture, Aqune was blushing slightly, but she didn't really mind it.

"Hey, Buguese…" she spoke up.

"What?"

"I know this isn't up to me, but… maybe we shouldn't attack the school anymore. I think people are becoming suspicious already."

She, Hunter and Corona had successfully moved the Buzzray corpses to a dumpster. Hunter explained that no one would really pay them mind, because the garbage was already full enough with disgusting school lunches that people preferred chucking over eating. And going through garbage in general was something most people wouldn't think to do. However, there was nothing that could be done about the damage dealt to the classroom. The three left the messy scene as it was, and that was that.

"Perhaps that is wise," he said, and abruptly backed away from Aqune a bit. "However, I intend to be the next one to face Hunter Steele. I don't care where we meet, even if it is at the school. All that matters is that I can defeat him, and get him out of our way. Then, we can take the Oracle Keys unhindered.

* * *

Hunter and Corona were back at the temple, where Lumen and Igneous were waiting. It was actually a surprise for the two there to see them approaching.

"You don't have school today?" Lumen wondered. He really hadn't a clue how it worked, but assumed it was an every day thing.

"Nope," Hunter said. "You see, normally, school is never open on Saturdays and Sundays. But today, we have off even on a Friday. But… there's also some bad news."

"What's that?" asked Igneous, already concerned.

"The reason school is closed is because yesterday, Insectors attacked it," Hunter explained. "Nobody was hurt, but they caused a lot of damage."

"And if people find out about Insectors, then they could find out about us too," Igneous said. "I see."

"Actually…" Corona spoke, looking a little embarrassed. "Somebody did find out about us anyway."

"Who?" wondered Igneous.

"A girl in our class named Aqune," Hunter said. "But she promised not to tell anyone, and I'm sure she meant it."

"If you're concerned, I did ask, and she said she wasn't going to do any experiments on us," Shadow explained.

"A girl?" Lumen asked, now suddenly interested. "Is she cute?"

"I don't think it matters if she's cute or not," Igneous said. "She could still be dangerous."

"But is she?" Lumen asked again.

"What do you mean, dangerous?" Hunter asked, ignoring Lumen.

"Even if she seems honest, she could decide to tell someone anyway," explained Igneous. "Or, if you let her become too close, the Insectors could target her, to get information on us. We don't want to endanger any Earthens while we're here."

"Maybe…" Corona said, as she tried to think it through.

"You guys should meet her," Hunter said. "Then you'll see what I mean. Don't you agree, Corona?"

"Uh… yeah, I don't see why not," she replied.

"Sounds good to me," Lumen said.

"On second thought, I'm not sure how we could meet her, though," Hunter commented, sweating. "Unless we actually go looking. I never even got her phone number or e-mail or anything."

None of the others were quite sure what Hunter was talking about. But they didn't feel the need to bother asking.

"Maybe that's for the best now," Igneous said. "Forgive me for still being a bit skeptical. Besides, we probably won't be staying here for too much longer. That's another good reason not to get too attached to anyone here."

Corona was a bit concerned to hear this.

"But what about Hunter? He's our teammate."

"That's true. He is an Earthen," Igneous realized.

"Don't worry. If you guys find a way back to the Inner World, I'm definitely coming with you!" Hunter declared.

"Really?" Shadow asked.

"Of course, really," Hunter replied. "Sorry if you're disappointed."

"That's not the issue," Shadow replied.

"Even though your home is here?" Igneous wondered.

"Yeah. Even then," he answered. "I mean, I'm happy enough just meeting all of you. That finally gave me the proof that the Inner World exists. But that's not the same as actually getting to see it."

Corona smiled. Well, that problem was solved, at least.

"Alright," Lumen spoke up. "Well, if you guys want to go find your new friend, go ahead. But for now, I'm going to stay here and nap. But I must warn you. If she's really cute, she's probably taken. Sadly, that's what always happens."

"Who ever said I was interested?!" Hunter yelled. He supposed Aqune was kind of attractive. But, probably not his type. Not that he even knew what his type was.

* * *

While Igneous had opted to stay back with Lumen, naturally, Corona once again was accompanying Hunter as he walked through the forest. She didn't need to ask, and Hunter didn't mind. He supposed the two of them just made a connection of sorts with each other right away. Being with her felt natural, whether they were fighting Insectors or struggling with school. Pretty good for someone he'd just met. Maybe he did have a type.

As they were walking, they heard a rustling sound from the bushes.

"An Insector?" Hunter wondered.

"Wait," Shadow instructed. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever was on the other side didn't seem to be going anywhere.

Suddenly, Aqune rose from behind the bushes, having heard talking.

"Oh, it's only you," Corona said. She was glad that they didn't have to fight something. "But… what are you doing in the woods?"

"I'm collecting fruit," Aqune said, holding up a basket with many berries. "I've just been worried a lot lately, so I thought I would relax by cooking something. I was curious as to what kind of ingredients I could find here."

"I see," said Shadow.

"By the way, what are you guys doing here? Are you here to fight something?" She was of course well aware of Buguese's plans to fight them.

"No, it's nothing like that," Hunter answered. "We were just hiking. But, we were actually thinking of looking for you. And here you are."

"Thanks for thinking of me," she answered.

"Hey… umm, is there any way we can contact you?" Hunter asked. "Like a phone number or something?"

"A phone number…" Aqune paused, not entirely sure what that meant.

"Hunter, what's a phone number?" Corona asked, now that it was the second time he mentioned it.

"Umm…" Hunter was a bit surprised that she didn't know. Did the Inner World not have those? "You use it to contact people from far away."

"Oh, like a manacle," Corona said.

That made the idea a bit clearer to Aqune too, not that she ever contacted anyone with her manacle. She was thankful to Corona for asking.

"I don't actually have one," Aqune said. "I'm sorry."

"Alright then. Where do you live?" asked Hunter. He guessed some people might not have phones, just no one he'd met.

"Around here…" Aqune said. She tried to stay calm, but was a bit worried as to how to proceed.

"Okay, where around here?" asked Hunter.

"North," she said, which was technically true. "However, I'm not really allowed to have visitors. My family is somewhat… complicated. That's the reason I moved here in the first place. I'm sorry, but if you want to see me, it will have to be at school."

"Or if we run into you by chance," Corona added. "Like today."

"Yeah," Aqune answered.

"Spider Riders!"

In a tree up above stood Buguese, in his true Insector form.

Aqune was immediately concerned. She was sure he must have seen her as well. Still, she decided it was best to try and hide herself behind a tree. Buguese wouldn't want her involved anyway.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked, annoyed. He knew this man had to be an Insector, at the very least.

"I am Buguese of the Big Four," he answered. "And I am here to finish you off once and for all."

Buguese wished Aqune wasn't there to watch, but for now, just decided to pretend he hadn't seen her. At least she had been smart enough to move out of the way, he noticed.

"You wish!" Hunter said. "Shadow, let's get him!"

"Sounds good to me," Shadow replied.

"Oracle's power!"

"Oracle's Soul!" Corona transformed too, of course.

Buguese held his arm out.

"Come forth, Machine-Sector." An ant-like monster emerged.

"We'll take this out as easily as the last one," Shadow said, confident. "Spider Threads!" Though he fired threads in its direction, the bug broke them before it could be caught.

"Venus, help him!" Corona instructed.

"Of course!" Now it was hit from two sides.

"It's working!" Hunter exclaimed.

However, the ant cut itself lose.

"No way!"

Buguese laughed in amusement. "Fools."

Then, the ant's stomach opened, and cannonballs shot from it. While the Spider Riders managed to dodge, the balls hit the trees and ground with a small impact. Even the tree Aqune hid behind was shaking. She decided she'd have to move elsewhere, although it would make her presence obvious again.

Hunter noticed what had happened. He didn't think the attack near her was intentional, but he certainly didn't trust his opponent either. "Don't even think about hurting her!" he demanded.

"Aqune is not my target," Buguese answered, annoyed. "You are!" He only realized after saying it that he probably shouldn't have called her by name.

"How do you know who she is?" Corona asked.

"I know many things," Buguese replied. "But I have no intention of hurting her."

More cannonballs appeared. This time, Hunter and Corona were too distracted to dodge.

Aqune cringed, watching them get hit. The girl had climbed up a tree a short distance away. She could see the fight clearly, but likely wouldn't get hurt from there, unless the whole tree was knocked down.

Both Hunter and Corona stood, but they were a bit sore.

"We have to finish it before it can fire again," Corona decided. She shot off an arrow. But the arrow merely deflected off the metal.

"My turn!" Unfortunately, Hunter's attack was equally unproductive.

"I honestly thought you'd put up a better fight than that," mocked Buguese. "I guess you're nothing to worry about after all."

"No! I'll never give up!" Hunter yelled. He narrowly avoided a cannonball, which shot his way, thanks to a quick leap from Shadow.

"Hunter, I have an idea!" Shadow said.

"What?!"

"When it opens up to fire! That's when we should attack. It would become vulnerable on the inside, where its mechanisms would be."

"It's worth a try," Hunter said. "Shadow, jump in the air. I need to be right on its level. If we can match the timing when it opens, then I can strike."

"Understood," the spider replied.

Concentrating, hoping his timing was right, Shadow took to the air. The plate was starting to open.

"Full Air!" yelled Hunter. When the dust from his attack cleared, the machine was cracked. It then split in half, each piece crashing to the ground.

"Great job, Hunter!" Corona said. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"How is that possible?!" Buguese shouted. He was furious. The Insector's first thought was to jump down and kill the both of them himself. Rather, he regretted not doing that from the start. But Aqune was watching. He could see her clearly from across the trees. Even on the chance she didn't interfere… it was too complicated.

"Hunter Steele, Corona, I must ask you one thing," Buguese said.

"And what's that?" Hunter asked, annoyed. "Why don't you just come down and face me, you coward?!"

"I would be glad to… another time," he answered. "I only want to know one thing. Why did you Spider Riders follow us here to this world?"

"To stop whatever you're planning, of course," answered Corona.

"We had no idea you even wanted to go to this world," Shadow added. "We came across you by chance!"

"I see. Then you are as ignorant as ever," Buguese answered. Satisfied, he took off.

The Riders might have tried following him, but then Aqune came down from the tree and ran to them.

"I'm glad you're both okay," she said.

"Yeah, you too," Corona replied. "If he knows about you, you have to be careful. Buguese is a lot more dangerous than Buzzrays."

"Yes, I know," Aqune replied. "But thanks for the advice." She knew him a lot better than them. She was sharing a room with him even, but thought it was best not to explain all of that. "Alright, well… I'll see you around. I still have something to cook." Aqune picked up her basket from the ground.

'It would be nice if I could share it with them,' she thought. 'Maybe another day.'

* * *

"Aqune…" someone was calling her name. Aqune was afraid, but turned her head. Standing right behind her was _that_ man. She screamed.

Then, she woke in her bed.

'Who is he? Why do I keep seeing him, even in my dreams?'

"Aqune, what's wrong?" Buguese appeared before her.

"I had a dream," she said worriedly. "That man… he was calling me." The girl then wrapped her arms around Buguese, pressing her head against his body. She was afraid, but why, if it was of someone she'd never even met?


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch6-**

On the balcony of Arachna Castle, a young girl stood, staring out into the horizon. She could see nothing ahead of her but the sky and sand.

"Brother…" she said. "Everyone, where could you be?"

"Kyu…" the small spider next to her didn't talk, but she was sympathetic to the princess' feelings.

"Oh, Hotarla…" said Sparkle, as she hugged the spider.

Ever since that day, Sparkle had been worried and confused. But that was inevitable. Igneous and Lumen had run out promptly on Corona's request, for an important mission. They and their spiders never came back. They didn't even try and contact her.

What made the situation more confusing was that no one had found the bodies of the missing Spider Riders. If they weren't dead (Sparkle refused to believe that would happen anyway), then where were they?

"Princess Sparkle, you're still out here?" Lily was concerned, but not surprised. The girl had been spending a lot of time outside, hoping to spot them returning.

Sparkle nodded. "Lily, what has your crystal ball told you? Do you think Lumen and the others will be back soon?"

"Well…" Lily paused. Lately, she'd seen nothing but bad omens. But certainly, she didn't want to write off the Spider Riders as dead yet either, nor crush Sparkle's hopes.

"I've seen a lot of things, but I've yet to understand what they mean," the seer finally answered.

"Oh," said Sparkle. "Alright."

"Don't give up hope," replied Lily.

* * *

In Mantid's new chambers, the Big Four were gathered, as well as Aqune. It was early in the morning.

"Grasshop, Beerain and Buguese…" the man spoke. "Not one of you, my best generals, managed to beat the Earthen Spider Rider?"

All of them wore frustrated expressions, but only Grasshop chose to speak up.

"Mantid-sama, please give me another chance," he said. "You kinda put me on the spot, so I didn't have the chance to come up with a genius plan."

"Not today, Grasshop," replied Mantid.

"Umm… tomorrow then?" he asked, hopeful.

"This task may not even matter come tomorrow," Mantid responded. "Do not forget, there is still one general who has yet to have his turn." He held his arm out, pointing to the purple beetle.

"I, Stags, will defeat the Earthen," he responded, his voice confident.

"Good. This I look forward to," said Mantid. "But do not fail me."

He began to laugh.

* * *

"Hotarla," Sparkle said, her voice determined. "Let's go find them."

"Kyu?" replied the spider, confused. But skeptical as she was, she would go wherever Sparkle went anyway.

"I know I'll make Lily worry about me too." She did feel bad about this. "But I'll come back. All of us will."

As she really wasn't allowed to leave the castle much, even under normal circumstances, Sparkle was already aware of some escape methods. It didn't take long for her to make it outside of the grounds, undetected.

"We did it, Hotarla!" she exclaimed.

"Kyu, kyu!"

"Now, to find them."

It didn't quite dawn on her yet that she had the entire Inner World to search. Even Arachna itself was pretty large.

Sparkle's first stop was a nearby village. She noticed there was a crowd of people there. There was a man who was trying to get the attention of the others. As she was curious, and not watching where she was going, Sparkle accidentally walked right into him.

* * *

That morning, Hunter and everyone else in his school finally had to go back. Supposedly, nothing was discovered in the damage investigations. However, it was decided that the students shouldn't be missing classes either way. Entrance to the damaged classroom itself would be completely prohibited, though.

That day, Hunter wandered over towards that room, curious. There was yellow police tape all around the entrance. Of course, due to the lack of door, one could still peek inside. The aforementioned door was left leaning up against a wall. There didn't seem to be any Buzzrays left that they missed accidentally, at least not in Hunter's line of sight.

"What are you doing here?" It was the principal's voice.

"Oh… I was just interested," Hunter answered nervously. "Come on, I can't be the only one who's tried to sneak a peek."

"No," said the principal. "There have been others. Well, I suppose this means you don't have any idea of what actually happened?" He looked at Hunter with a stare that could almost pierce through him.

"N-no, I had nothing to do with it," Hunter answered.

"If you say so, delinquent boy," the principal answered. "Now get to class! First period started already."

"Right!" said Hunter, who darted off.

Even after he had made it a distance away, Hunter could still feel himself sweating. The principal was one scary man.

* * *

"Hey, watch it!" The man who Sparkle hit didn't fall, but he did stumble a bit.

"S-sorry," said Sparkle, cringing.

"Well, I guess it's alright," said the man. "This could be a fated meeting. I can see you're a Spider Rider, so perhaps you've seen a purple spider?"

"Purple?" Sparkle wondered. It sounded pretty, but that coloring didn't fit any of the spiders she knew. "No, I don't think so."

"Then, you're of no help to me," he answered.

"Wait!" Sparkle called, surprised by his response. "If you're looking for spiders, then have you seen Ebony, Venus or Flame?"

"Huh? Aren't those the spiders of Arachna Castle?" The names sounded a bit familiar to him, but it wasn't as if he'd ever met them.

"Yes!" said Sparkle. "They're all missing, and their Riders too. My brother… Prince Lumen is one of them. I have to find them."

"So you're a princess?" he wondered out loud. Either way, she was just a little girl. Not particularly interesting, even if she was royalty. "Sorry," he said. "I've got nothing to do with those Riders."

The man was a bit taken aback when he saw that Sparkle's eyes were getting teary.

"Hey, don't cry…" he said. "Alright. I guess… since we are both looking for people, I can help you out for a little while. This village doesn't seem to have any good information anyway."

"Thank you!" Sparkle exclaimed. "I'll be glad to help you too…" she paused, realizing she didn't even know who she was talking to. "What's your name?"

"Magma," he said.

"I'm Princess Sparkle," replied the girl. "And this is my partner, Hotarla."

* * *

"Hey, Aqune!" Hunter and Corona caught sight of her after classes.

"Oh, hi!" Aqune called.

"You seemed kind of quiet during lunch," Corona said. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," she answered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be quiet."

"It's okay," Hunter said. "So, are we studying today?" It wasn't that Hunter was anxious to get better grades. Hanging out with the other two is what he enjoyed about it.

"Sorry, I can't today," Aqune said. "I have some things to take care of."

Yes, that was a lie, and she felt bad to resorting to that. Especially because that's what she'd been doing a lot lately. But she was aware that Stags would be attacking. If her options were to lie and ditch them here, or watch the fight and do nothing again, it was certainly the former that made her feel less guilty.

"Well, alright!" said Hunter. "There's always tomorrow."

* * *

Sparkle and Magma arrived at the next closest village.

"Everyone!" Magma called as loudly as he could. "Listen to me!"

Sparkle found it rather impressive that he was actually drawing the people's attention so quickly. It made her wish she had a deeper voice.

"What is this?" an elderly man asked, as he stepped out from his nearby house.

"The princess is here?!" a woman who was shopping exclaimed. This caused others nearby to turn their heads.

"Tell me. Has anyone seen a purple spider? Her name is Portia."

"Purple? Beats me," a man replied.

"The princess' spider is much cuter, I'm sure," someone mentioned.

Magma received similar doubt and shrugs from others.

"Have you seen any of the Spider Riders at all recently?" Sparkle asked, hopeful.

"Spider Riders?" a man said. "Nope. Not one, besides you."

"But there's no need for them anymore," a woman added. "Believe it or not, the Insectors haven't been seen around either. There have been no reported attacks for days! Thanks to that, Arachna is finally safe!"

"Really?" This seemed rather suspicious to Magma. Insectors were always causing trouble. They probably lived for it. "Do you know where they were last seen?"

"Well…" spoke the old man. "I heard a large amount of Insectors were traveling west the other day. No clue as to where they were headed, but I don't think anyone got hurt this time."

"I see," said Magma. "Then I'm heading west!"

"A-Alright," said Sparkle. "But how come? Do you think my brother and the rest were captured by the Insectors?"

"I have no idea," Magma answered. "But maybe we'll find a clue." He honestly wasn't sure how this would help his mission at all, but at least maybe he could help another pair of siblings reunite.

* * *

Hunter and Corona had returned to the mountains, where they regrouped with Lumen and Igneous. They were sitting at a small pond.

"School is so boring," Hunter sighed. "You guys are lucky that you don't have to go."

"Perhaps," Igneous said. "But it's not like living in the woods is fun either. There are even wild animals here."

"Like over there?" Hunter could hear noises in the bushes.

"It sounds like something big," Corona said, nervously.

To their shock, it wasn't an animal at all that emerged, but a large Insector.

"That's Stags!" said Igneous in shock.

"Is he tough?" Hunter asked.

"Very," replied Igneous.

* * *

"What's this temple?" Following a trail of dead Insectors, Sparkle and Magma finally saw it up ahead.

"I've never seen it before," Magma said. "Let's check it out. But be careful. We don't know who's hiding in there."

"Right!" Sparkle said.

"Kyu…" Hotarla was rather nervous. Still, the three entered.

* * *

"I will make this quick!" Stags announced. "I came here for a one-on-one fight with Hunter Steele. None of you will interfere."

"So you expect us to just watch?" Corona asked, concerned.

"You can leave if you'd prefer," answered Stags. "But you will not involve yourselves in our duel."

"It's fine," Hunter said. "I've beat other Insectors, so I'll just do the same to this one."

"No," Igneous said. "Stags is the only member of the Big Four that none of us have beaten before."

"Do it, Hunter!" Shadow said. "You'll just have to be the first."

"I will," Hunter agreed. "Oracle's power!"

* * *

"Where are we?" Sparkle and Magma found themselves inside a distinctly different temple.

"This might have been a bad idea," Magma said, as he peered outside. "This doesn't look like anywhere I've seen in the Inner World."

* * *

Hunter jumped at Stags, swinging his blade horizontally. Stags countered with his enormous sword, causing the boy to fly back.

"Hunter!" yelled Corona.

Just as soon as Hunter stood up, Stags was right in front of him, and knocked him back down.

"He really is tough," Hunter groaned. He wanted to use Shadow. That might have given him a chance. But Hunter did agree to one-on-one.

"I thought you would put up a better fight," Stags said, as he pushed Hunter right up to the water's edge.

Not wanting a bath, the Rider tried his best to stand. But already, he was in serious pain. He wasn't even hit many times, but each strike from Stags had tremendous force.

"Never give up," he told himself. As if he found his second wind, Hunter stood. Charging at Stags with a quick swipe of his blade, he pushed the Insector general a few steps back.

"So you do have some talent," Stags said. Still, he was then able to bat Hunter right back down.

"Stop it!"

Magma charged in, throwing his fist at Stags. However, the beetle merely caught it.

"I thought I said no interferences!" Stags shouted, glaring at Magma with disdain.

"Well I didn't hear it," replied Magma. "Now what are you Insectors doing here?"

"That's our own concern," Stags said. "Hunter Steele, we will finish this match another time." He then disappeared into the trees.

"Who are you?" Igneous asked.

"My name is Magma," he said. "A Spider Rider." He removed the bandages covering his arm, revealing a manacle.

"Lumen!" Before anyone could question Magma further, they received another shock. Sparkle ran up to them.

"Sparkle! Is it really you?!" Lumen yelled. But he knew it was her, and embraced her as soon as she was close enough.

"What happened to you all?" Sparkle asked.

"We were sent to the Outer World," Corona said. She was kneeling by Hunter's side, who was conscious but still on the floor in pain. "Unfortunately, we haven't managed to find a way to return home yet."

"The Outer World?" Sparkle asked, amazed.

"Then, looks like I'll never find Portia here." Magma sighed to himself. "What a waste coming here was."

"Portia?" Igneous asked.

"A purple spider," Magma answered. "She's the little sister of my Spider, Brutus. I guess you don't know her."

Igneous shook his head.

"Hey, who's this?" Sparkle asked, taking notice of Hunter.

"The new Spider Rider, Hunter Steele," Lumen answered. "And Magma, I wouldn't rule out finding your spider here. Everyone, this is becoming more and more complicated, so I think it's time for a long talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this version of the story, I was thinking either Magma never went into the Forest of Bewilderment, or he got himself out somehow. Because it would be kind of cruel to leave him there to rot forever, if Hunter isn't around to help.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch7-**

Another day of school had come to a close. In an empty section of the hallway, Aqune stood facing the human version of Buguese.

"Why did you need to see me so urgently?" Buguese wondered.

"Well…" she began awkwardly. "Because I started to sense an Oracle Key." She tried to keep her voice low, because regardless of the fact that no one seemed to be around, they were still in a public place. Although on the other hand, it wasn't like any Earthens who overheard would even know what those words meant.

"Where?"

"That's the problem," she replied. "I don't know yet. I believe it can't be far from here, but… it's a faint feeling. Perhaps my powers aren't as strong in this world." She was aware Buguese would want better news than that, but sadly she couldn't provide it.

"I see." He was glad that she'd finally sensed one after all this time, but the lack of a concrete solution was frustrating. "Well be sure to let me know when you find it. The sooner we have the keys, the sooner we can be out of this disgusting human world, and save ours."

"Hey, who is Aqune talking to?" wondered Corona. She and Hunter had gone to find her, so they could actually get some studying in, but they hadn't expected her to be talking to some boy they didn't recognize.

"Let's ask," Hunter said. And before Corona could object to that, he started to run closer to her. "Hey! Aqune!"

At the sound of his voice, both Aqune and Buguese turned around. Although they worried about being overheard, being addressed directly was not something they were expecting.

"Oh, Hunter! Corona!" Aqune said, trying to act as naturally as possible. "I'm sorry. I meant to catch up with you."

"It's fine," Hunter said. "But, who's that boy?"

The "acting naturally" part was much tougher for Buguese. He was trying not to glare too intensely, but probably didn't look happy.

"Oh… this is… my friend Brandon," Aqune answered, being careful not to use his real name. The fake name didn't have any real purpose behind it, other than starting with the same letter. It was just that Buguese was informed by Mantid that his name was absolutely not an acceptable one to go by in the human world.

"He's not in our grade," continued Aqune. "Just… we had some things to discuss, and I didn't really get to see him during the day."

"Is he _just_ a friend?" Corona wondered. She realized after speaking that maybe it was an inappropriate question, but she thought it would have been nice if Aqune had a boyfriend… who wasn't Hunter.

"Uh… yes," said Aqune. "Of course."

"Aqune, I must be going," Buguese said, annoyed. He wasn't going to stick around where the Spider Riders were any longer than necessary. "But do not forget your… assignment." He thought that was a vague enough way to put it.

"Right," she answered.

"What kind of friend reminds you to do your work?" Hunter asked. "They're supposed to keep your mind off of it."

"A practical one," Aqune said. "You know, we did want to meet so we could study today."

"Yeah, let's not forget," said Corona.

The three had since found a new empty room to study in, and had managed to do so without incident for a couple of days. Still, they would spend some of the time talking, and did poorly on that math test anyway. They wondered if it would have helped if they had someone who actually knew the material to study with them.

* * *

Grasshop was writing notes furiously in his room. There was a mountain of crumpled papers behind him.

"I've gotta come up with the best plan ever!" he said. "Now that not even Stags managed to beat the new Spider Rider, this is my chance! When I'm the one who actually succeeds, first, Mantid-sama will shower me with praise. And second, he'll promote me to the Big Four top, instead of that loser, Buguese. I can't wait!"

As his door wasn't closed all the way, a messenger bug was able to fly in through the crack. It started to chirp something to him.

"Really? Mantid-sama has a mission for me? Alright!"

* * *

Magma sat with his back pressed against a tree. As a wanderer, he was used to living anywhere he had to. He didn't need the comforts of a house, not that he would've minded them either. So to stay in the woods wasn't a problem. It was something entirely different which was bothering him.

'Those guys say people are coming to this world from the Inner World,' he thought to himself. 'Well, I'm living proof. But, could Portia really have come here? Either way, sitting here idly isn't going to help me.'

Magma could never erase that fateful day from his memory. The day his village was attacked by Insectors. There was a deadly fire. Not one person survived. No one but him, that is. And it was all thanks to Brutus, who saved his life. His own little sister may have died, but Magma was going to return the favor, and help Brutus find his sister, Portia.

"Hey Brutus, do you really think Portia is in this world?" Magma asked.

"Maybe," Brutus said.

If she had come to another world, that at least would have explained why they never managed to find a trace of her in Arachna.

* * *

"Well, I guess this isn't so bad," Grasshop pondered out loud, as he headed off to his destination.

* * *

_"Grasshop…" Mantid had told him. "I can see how much you want another chance to prove your worth."_

_"Yes sir," Grasshop said. "I will do anything."_

_"Anything?" Mantid echoed, smirking. "In any case, your mission is to take out the Spider Riders. The ones from the Inner World, that is. Aqune should be keeping Hunter Steele busy now, so they would be separated. If you can at least take out them, the enemy will be much weaker."_

* * *

"Dealing with the other Spider Riders will be a piece of cake," he thought. "I even have a pretty perfect plan in mind."

* * *

"Hey, Magma, where are you going?" Igneous noticed their new ally was atop his spider, and seemed to be leaving.

"Don't know," Magma said. "But Portia isn't just going to pop up here."

"Yes, I understand that," Igneous said. "But it was Hunter's request for us not to let the Earthens learn we're here. If you're going around with a spider, that will definitely expose us."

"Yeah, and then you'll get experimented on," Lumen added. "At least that's what Hunter says. But he's an Earthen, so he must understand Earthens' thoughts better than we do. I'll take his word for it."

"If that's the price I have to pay, I'll take it," Magma decided. "I'm doing this for Brutus' sake, not for my own."

"Let's at least wait until Hunter gets back and talk this over with him," suggested Lumen. "It can't be much longer."

It didn't matter either way, as that was when Grasshop arrived on the scene. Three giant mechanical insects stood behind him.

"An Insector?!" Igneous shouted, frustrated.

"You're absolutely right," Grasshop said, mockingly. "And not just any Insector, but the one who will do the honor of beating you. I'd let you thank me, but you won't be able to do that when you're dead."

"Why would we thank you?!" yelled Igneous. Not that anyone ever needed to make sense of Grasshop. The knight drew out his blade. "You should leave now."

"Hold on a minute," Grasshop said. "At least let me explain the rules before you pull out weapons. See, there are three machines here, and three of you. So-"

"Four!" Sparkle interrupted, looking annoyed.

"Alright, I'll rephrase that. Three of you, plus a puny little girl."

Both Sparkle and Hotarla were glaring at him.

"Each of you fights a machine," Grasshop continued. "But if any one of you loses, then all of you have to surrender."

"That doesn't sound very fair," Lumen said.

"So you think you're going to lose?" asked Magma.

"No, I didn't say that," Lumen replied. "Just thought I'd point out the flaw in these rules. But very well. We accept."

"Oracle's Devotion!" Magma yelled.

"Oracle's Spirit!" followed Igneous.

"Oracle's Justice!" Now, they were all ready.

Igneous leapt at his target. A heavy blast of flames from his sword made contact. The machine was caught up in it. It began to melt.

Magma's mace collided with his opponent. The metal robot cracked, and it started to come apart.

A powerful blast of light came as Lumen swung his sword. The machine crashed to the ground, breaking on impact.

"We win," Magma said, smug.

"So what, you want me to cry now, right?" Grasshop asked. "Well, too bad. That was just round one."

"What?!" Igneous yelled.

Grasshop snapped his finger. The three machines started repairing themselves, and rose up from the ground.

"These are very resilient Machine-Sectors," Grasshop said. "They can even learn from their mistakes."

"Augh!" Igneous was hit by a burst of flames from his now reformed enemy.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Magma said. Then, the hand and arm of his machine foe changed shape, becoming a mace. It quickly flew down at Magma. He had no other choice but to dodge. If he countered, the weight of his own mace couldn't compare to one of that size.

"This is really annoying," Lumen complained, as he did his best to avoid the barrage of his own attack. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite dodge all of them.

"Now this is entertaining," said Grasshop.

"Hotarla, this is terrible," Sparkle said. "There has to be something we can do." However, she felt that even if she transformed, she still wouldn't be able to take down three giant machines. However, she did have one idea.

* * *

"Hunter! Corona!"

Both Riders heard a voice echo through their manacles. It would have been a problematic situation, had they been with anyone else but Aqune.

"That's Princess Sparkle!" Corona exclaimed. "Sparkle, what's wrong?"

"We're all in danger," she said. "Please, you have to come and help."

"We'll get there as fast as we can," Hunter assured.

"Another attack?" Aqune questioned. This one, she definitely hadn't heard about beforehand.

"Sounds like it," answered Corona.

"Sorry, Aqune," Hunter said. "We'd better go. It could take a while, so you might not want to wait around for us."

"Yes, I understand," she said. "Good luck."

"We never get a break," Hunter sighed. "Corona, are Insectors always this persistent?"

"Yeah, kind of," she replied.

* * *

True, Sparkle had called for help. But she didn't know how long it would take to arrive. Watching her teammates struggle wasn't helping to ease her worry either. The girl's eyes shifted to where Grasshop stood. He was still watching on with amusement.

"Hotarla," she said. "Try catching him with your web while he's not looking."

"Kyu!"

Of course, Grasshop wasn't expecting this assault. He was pulled to the floor suddenly, as tight threads encircled his body.

"Ahh! What are you doing?!" he yelled.

"You were wrong!" Sparkle declared. "This isn't three against three. Now it's four against four. You forgot to count yourself too."

"I… I didn't forget," he said. "It was just a convenient exclusion. It's no good getting your hands dirty."

"Sparkle!" Lumen was shocked, seeing what his sister had done. Of course, he was worried about her. But at the same time, he felt rather inspired.

"Justeen!" Lumen fired his attack once more. It collided with the incoming enemy blasts, at least protecting them from hitting him. That was his chance. The prince fired one more attack. This one hit, finally silencing the Machine-Sector. "I hope it's not coming back again," he sighed.

"No! That's impossible!" yelled Grasshop. "Well, fine! I still have two more chances to win. That's plenty."

"No, just one more!" Igneous corrected. His sword pierced the Machine-Sector, which finally burst.

Grasshop stuttered, but couldn't even come up with words to say, he was so annoyed. Instead, the Insector began struggling with the threads around him, hoping to undo them. Maybe he could escape at the very least.

"I'm not going to lose either!" Magma declared.

With an attack more intense than ever, he swung his mace right at the machine's. And only the Machine-Sector's weapon cracked. This time, it didn't reform afterwards.

Grasshop was scowling. He really lost?

It was at that moment when Hunter and Corona finally arrived.

"You needed help?" Hunter asked. But looking around, it didn't seem that way. All he could see were some very badly damaged machines.

"Guess not," said Corona, who looked at Hunter and shrugged.

"Any more tricks, Insector?" Magma asked. He approached Grasshop threateningly.

"Oh man… how am I gonna explain this to Mantid-sama?" muttered Grasshop.

"Tell him that you lost," Magma said. "Now that you're at our mercy, answer this. You've been in this world longer than me, so do you know anything about a purple spider?"

"Huh?" it was an odd question, but Grasshop could definitely recall one. The one partnered with Aqune. "Oh, that spider? Yeah, I've seen it. But it's Insector property, sorry to say."

"You have Portia?!" Magma exclaimed, incredulous.

"Not me. Buguese. Beat him up instead." Then Grasshop finally burst out of the webbing. He quickly started hopping away.

Magma thought of pursuing him, but decided it wasn't worth it.

"Buguese has the spider you're looking for?" Hunter wondered. "But… why?" It was kind of strange to him, because what use could a spider be to Insectors anyway?

"I have no idea," Magma said. "But that's the clue I needed. I'm going to get her back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely my favorite chapter to write. Yes, I like writing about amusement parks, both in my fanfic and original stories.

**Ch8-**

The television was one of the strangest inventions Aqune had discovered in the time she had to explore her room. But it was oddly fascinating. She ended up turning it on one morning, as there was no school that day, so she didn't need to rush out.

"Huh?" A commercial was the first thing to come on, advertising for a place called Playland amusement park. It was showcasing the rides, and kids yelling and having fun, as cheery music played in the background.

"This is... I'm sure I've seen this place in my visions," she realized. Aqune knew she'd definitely never been to such a location before in reality. But through this strange method, she'd found the answer she was looking for. "Buguese!" she called. But there was no answer.

Slowly, Aqune opened the curtains. But Buguese was not in the room at all. She slipped out into the hall, and there, she was able to find him.

"Buguese, I found it," Aqune said.

"Found it? You mean the Oracle Key?!" Buguese realized.

She nodded.

"The Oracle Key is somewhere in Playland amusement park. I'm certain."

"Playland amusement park?" Questioned the Insector. "What in the world is that?" He didn't like the sound of it.

"Oh, it's…" Aqune paused. She had a hard time answering when she wasn't really certain either. "It's a place where Earthens go to have fun." At least, everyone on the commercial looked like they were having fun.

"I pity those who would waste their time seeking pleasure," Buguese stated, rather stunned that they would design a park just for that.

"I don't think it's really a bad thing," Aqune replied, softly.

"Regardless of its purpose, we must go, my dear. The Oracle Key will soon be ours," Buguese declared.

* * *

A short while later, Buguese (in human form) and Aqune had entered the gates of the infamous Playland. They actually had to wait in a fairly long line to get tickets, as the place was quite popular on the weekends.

"Alright. Now where is it, exactly?" Buguese asked, as soon as they were actually inside. He was visibly cringing from just how many humans were around them. That all of them seemed so ignorantly happy just made it more annoying.

"I actually don't know yet," Aqune admitted. "I'm sure I'll be able to sense it when we get closer."

"Very well," Buguese said. It wasn't as if they had another choice but to wait.

"Maybe… first we could try out a ride or two," Aqune suggested. Though, her voice was nervous. She doubted Buguese would agree. "We had to pay to get in, so it could make up for the cost," she added.

"What would make up for it is leaving with the Oracle Key in our possession," Buguese answered. "You know how vital they are." Aside from that, it wasn't even their money. The only reason they had Earthen money is because they were handed it for their mission.

"Yes, I understand," Aqune replied, though she was a bit disappointed. The rides actually did look pretty fun from up close.

"Aqune, what are you doing here?" Both she and Buguese were surprised when they heard Hunter's voice.

"Uh… I saw it on tv, and thought it would be nice to come for a day," she answered. "Actually, I've never been to a place like this before."

Corona noticed that Aqune's friend from school was there too. Were they really not dating? Then again, neither were she and Hunter, despite the two of them coming out to the park alone together.

"Want to hang out with us?" Hunter asked. "We would have invited you… if we had a way to contact you."

"Aqune, we should leave," Buguese answered for her. "We will have to come back here another day." Even if it was likely sheer coincidence, he couldn't believe the Spider Riders happened to be there too.

Aqune looked surprised, but she really wasn't sure what she could say, if anything at all.

"Who leaves so early in the day?" Hunter said. "You guys should at least go on one ride with us, while you're here."

"Please…" Aqune said. She somewhat regretted asking, when Buguese already refused, but she still did want to try.

"One," Buguese agreed. "But then we part ways."

"Thanks." Aqune smiled at him.

Buguese wished he wasn't in human form. Then he wouldn't have been put on the spot, and he could have just killed them. But Aqune's smile almost made everything worth it.

* * *

The one ride they ended up on was the bumper boats. As they were two-seaters, Hunter and Corona shared one boat, while Buguese and Aqune shared another.

"Maybe this ride isn't so bad, if it's built for attacking" Buguese commented, as he rammed his boat at full force into Hunter's yet again.

"I think you're supposed to try and hit the other boats too," Aqune suggested. At least that was her observation from watching the others on the ride. But she didn't dare try to take the wheel from Buguese.

"Hunter, does Brandon have some kind of grudge on us?" Corona whispered.

"I don't know," Hunter said. "But he shouldn't be a problem for much longer. Watch this." Pushing a button on the wheel resulted from water spraying out. The jets hit Buguese and Aqune right in the face.

"What has he done?!" Buguese asked.

"Oh, now I get it!" Aqune had seen other riders using this attack method earlier. She reached in and hit the same button, returning the favor.

Soon, the ride came to an end.

Buguese got off the boat as quickly as he was allowed, prompting Aqune to do the same. She complied, although she wanted to stay around longer, and at least say goodbye to the other two Spider Riders.

The two walked for a bit, although not in the direction of the exit. They weren't even certain where it was in such a large place.

"Wait! I know where to find the Key," Aqune exclaimed.

"Where?" Buguese asked.

"The tower. We just passed it, and I got this strong feeling of the Oracle's presence," she answered.

"Good," he said. "Then let's hurry and take it."

The 'tower' in question was actually part of the haunted house. There was a small section of grass surrounding this tower, blocked off by a gate.

"Come," Buguese said, as he effortlessly leapt over the gate.

"Right," Aqune said, following him. There was a sign that said 'restricted', but that probably wasn't the issue now, she realized.

Gazing up at the tower, Aqune spotted it. Right up in the belfry, full of fake bats, sat the Oracle Key.

"I'll get it," she said, and began to climb up. It wasn't difficult for her. Finally, she reached inside the belfry, and pulled out the Key.

"Aqune! What are you doing?!" Corona yelled. Aqune hadn't expected to be seen by anyone. Shocked, she lost her grip and fell from the tower. Fortunately, she landed in Buguese's arms, who had moved in to catch her.

"Th-thank you…" she said.

"It's fine," he replied. "We have what we came here for. Just be more careful." He put her back on the ground.

"Aqune, are you stealing?" Hunter asked, with surprise. The two of them had also disregarded the sign and climbed into the restricted area.

"No!" Aqune said immediately, even though she sort of was. "This… I grabbed it by accident when I fell."

"Okay, but what were you doing up there?" Hunter wondered.

"Trying to get a balloon," she decided, as she saw one fly into the air, out of a child's hand. "Someone must have lost it. Like that."

"But that's really dangerous," Corona said. It was then, she got a glimpse of the item in Aqune's hand. "That seems familiar. Can I see it?"

"Umm…" Aqune spoke. Obviously, she couldn't give it to one who was supposed to be her enemy. She shook her head.

"But I thought you didn't want it," said Hunter, confused. "Then, you were trying to take it? What is that thing anyway? It doesn't look like part of the haunted house."

'This is absurd,' Buguese thought to himself. He turned and walked off until he was out of sight. 'If Corona knows what the Key is, the Spider Riders won't let Aqune leave with it. And she won't be able to fight them for it either.'

In a moment, Buguese reappeared before them, in full Insector form.

"Aqune, that belongs to me," he said, and pulled it from her hand.

"Buguese, what are you doing here?!" Hunter shouted.

"He wants the key!" Corona exclaimed.

"Alright, can someone please explain what that is?" Hunter asked.

"An Oracle Key," said Corona. "I don't know much about them, but they're said to be very powerful."

"I forced Aqune and her friend to get it for me," Buguese spoke. "That coward tried to run, but I stopped him, although he should still be alive. And I won't let you Spider Riders interfere now that I've found it."

Aqune wasn't sure what to think. Although now she would come off as innocent in the eyes of Hunter and Corona, she was certain this day was only going to get messier.

"If you wish to live, you will let me leave," Buguese continued.

"No way!" Hunter declared. "Not if you're going to take some weapon with you. Oracle's Power!"

"Oracle's Soul!" The two were transformed.

"Please, let him have the Key," Aqune spoke. She wondered if there was any way Buguese could just escape, but it would likely be complicated.

"No!" Hunter said. "Don't worry. We won't let him hurt you." If they actually had been threatened, that explained why Aqune and her friend were in such a hurry before.

Hunter charged at Buguese. However, the man deflected him back with his own sword. Then, he fired a return shot at Hunter, though the attack was dodged.

"My turn!" Corona fired one of her arrows. But Buguese was also able to block that, using the side of his sword.

Although the fighting in general bothered Aqune, she also acknowledged that other people would see this. The park was crowded, after all. The only slight relief was that no one had called out any spiders yet.

"Mommy, look! What's that?" A young girl dragged her mother by the hand to the site. They weren't the only two to approach.

Aqune ran up to the gate. She had only one idea.

"We're making a new TV show!" she said. "Uh… you can watch if you really need to, but stay back."

She actually had no idea how TV shows were made, and it was probably noticeable to anyone who did that there wasn't a camera to be seen. Yet people seemed to believe her.

Of course, if this really were a TV show, it was going to be a grim one. Neither Rider had yet to get a hit on Buguese. Not that Aqune wanted Buguese to lose either. She didn't know what to think.

"Shadow, spider out!" Hearing Aqune's comments, Hunter decided it was good enough to explain Shadow's existence. And he really needed the help.

"Venus, spider out!" Corona followed his lead.

Both spiders shot at Buguese with their threads. But the Insector jumped up in the air and avoided it. This only caused the threads to get tangled in each other.

"Sorry, Venus," Shadow said, rather embarrassed.

"If you thought calling your spiders would help you, you're wrong!" shouted Buguese. He fired a strong wave of energy at both spiders. They could barely move from the resulting pain.

"Shadow!" Hunter exclaimed, angrily.

"Hunter Steele, you're next!" Buguese threw the same attack at Hunter. Of course, the boy's endurance had decreased by this point.

"No, Hunter!" Corona shouted.

Suddenly, light appeared before Hunter, absorbing the attack. Aqune could also see a golden glow around Corona.

'She's a handmaiden?' she wondered to herself.

"Corona… thanks, but… what's going on?"

Despite Hunter's question, Corona didn't reply.

To Buguese's shock, the Oracle Key shot out from his hand. Now, it was in Hunter's hand.

"How?" wondered Hunter, as he looked at his new acquisition.

"Return it now, Hunter Steele!" shouted Buguese, who charged at him. But he couldn't hit Hunter. He was pushed back by the barrier of light.

"Hunter… do you feel this?" Shadow spoke.

"Yeah," Hunter said. "Suddenly, I feel more powerful."

Light was around Shadow now as well, who felt like he'd recovered completely. The light that was growing around both spider and Rider was becoming too bright to even see through. And when it finally dissipated, the armor both wore had changed slightly.

"He awakened its power?!" Buguese exclaimed.

Aqune was in awe, unable to say anything.

'What did I just do?' Corona wondered. As beneficial as it seemed to be, she couldn't help but feel concerned.

Angrily, Buguese ran in to attack once more. Hunter also charged at his opponent, and their blades collided midway. But Hunter's attack was stronger, and Buguese's sword was knocked from his hand.

"What?! That's not possible!" The Insector was twitching.

"Stop this right now!" Aside from the crowds of people watching, there were now several security officers.

"Even if this wasn't a restricted area, you still don't have the proper permits to be filming any kind of shows on our property," a different officer spoke.

The three humans looked embarrassed, while Buguese was still furious.

"I will get the key next time," he said, and jumped over the gate. Pushing people away, he fled the area.

'Buguese…' Aqune thought to herself worriedly.

"We're really, really sorry," Hunter said to the officers, his head lowered out of respect. "I promise it won't happen again. We'll get out of here."

"It better not happen," said the first guard. "Otherwise, you might find yourselves with a nasty fine, if not some jail time. You're lucky we're letting you off with a warning for today."

While Hunter was trying to smooth things over, Aqune climbed over the fence too. She headed in the direction Buguese went.

"Aqune!" He was perched in a tree when he spotted her, as he was trying to avoid being seen. Aqune climbed up to join him.

"Buguese, I… I'm really sorry," she said.

"It wasn't your fault," he said, grudgingly. He then scooped up the surprised Aqune in his arms, and started to leap away through the treetops.

"I…I'll try my best to find the next one," said Aqune.

"Good," Buguese replied. "As you should. And we will get this one back."

* * *

"Wait, you found an Oracle Key?" Lumen was amazed by what his teammates brought back.

"Yeah," Hunter said. "But Buguese almost got it. Fortunately, Corona did something pretty cool, so we won."

"What?" Sparkle wondered.

"Umm…" Corona replied. She didn't really find it cool. Almost scary, actually. "I don't know. I guess… Spirit Oracle was on our side."

"How did Oracle Keys get to this world anyway?" Igneous wondered.

"That's a good question," said Corona. "But I think that finally explains why the Insectors came here."


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch9-**

Aqune kneeled down before the Oracle Key, the one they had acquired back in her home world. Mantid had brought it with him, of course. She echoed her chant over and over, trying to clear her mind, and just focus on the Keys alone.

'I can't believe Corona was able to use all that power,' she thought to herself. Maybe Aqune was wrong about her own power being weaker. Maybe, she just could have been using it wrong, she considered. But it was that which motivated her to try harder to find the remaining two Oracle Keys. Well, that and Buguese. Naturally, he was upset over what happened at the amusement park. The Insectors wanted the Keys just to survive, so this was more than a simple loss. Although she and Buguese did have their differences in ideals, that didn't mean she couldn't care about him, and because of that, he was strongly on her mind. Lately, he'd been on her mind often.

'I have to keep focusing,' she reminded herself, noticing her train of thought slipping.

Aqune envisioned the Key in her mind. She concentrated on that, as well as her surroundings. A faint feeling began to grow stronger.

'Focus harder…'

The school. That was what came to her mind.

"There's an Oracle Key in the school," she realized. Possibly, that was the one she had sensed previously. And this reminded Aqune of one more thing. The weekend was over, which meant she had classes. If she stayed around meditating any longer, she was going to be late.

'I'll tell Buguese later,' she thought to herself.

Little did Aqune know, but a messenger bug had overheard her discovery.

* * *

"Where is he?" It was finally lunch period. Aqune glanced around the cafeteria, hoping to spot her master. It was usually easy, because he kept away from the crowds. But on this day, he was nowhere to be seen.

'Could Buguese have stayed home?' wondered Aqune. Of course, she didn't necessarily need him. She could look for the Key on her own. But she still was in a position where she had to avoid combat situations. Much as she liked Hunter and Corona, it felt like they were following her even more than she was following them, and she was the one who was supposed to be spying. She almost expected they would find out if she went looking for a key.

* * *

"Buguese, I didn't expect you to be at the mansion today." It was Mantid's voice. Buguese had gone to his leader's chambers, as he was instructed to do.

"I apologize, Mantid-sama," Buguese answered. "As you know, we lost the Key. Perhaps a new strategy is in order. Especially now that the Spider Riders also have a handmaiden on their side, and may be searching for the Keys as well."

"You needn't worry. There is already another Key in our sights," Mantid replied.

"What?!" Buguese questioned.

"At Hunter Steele's school," the Insector leader answered. "I have already sent troops there. We will use any force necessary to claim it this time. Any casualties won't matter."

'Aqune is there,' Buguese thought to himself. 'I doubt she knows of this attack, if even I wasn't told. Then… she will likely be caught up in it.' He had no other choice but to head there too, he realized.

* * *

"Umm… Hunter."

"Yeah?" replied Hunter. He and Corona were reluctantly heading to their math room after school that day. Sadly, like many other students, they had to take a make-up exam to improve their grades. That was the result of failing their big test.

"Look outside," Corona said. She was staring at a window, concerned.

Hunter spotted immediately what she did. Right outside was a lone Insector soldier. He didn't seem to be doing anything, but his presence there alone was a red flag.

"Guess the test will have to wait," he said. Not that he minded. Fighting Insectors sounded a lot more fun.

Both Riders rushed outside. They transformed as soon as they could, and approached the soldier.

"You're not getting near the school," Corona said, her bow aimed at him. The Insector didn't reply, but appeared rather afraid. He started to run.

"We can't let him escape!" Hunter yelled, and immediately began to chase him.

"Wait!" Corona called.

Confused, Hunter turned his head to her. A distance away, close to another entrance, was a larger group of soldiers.

"This is bad," he thought out loud.

* * *

Remembering that she too had to take the make-up test, Aqune had already gone to the room. She knew she didn't actually need it, as her grade was meaningless when she wasn't even a real student. But following procedure would keep her from becoming suspicious, and Buguese still wasn't around to help her get the Key anyway.

'Hunter and Corona aren't here?' she noticed. She was starting to second-guess her decision already. 'Could they have found out about the Key?'

But Aqune quickly became distracted by something completely different.

It was thin, but noticeable. From outside the classroom, smoke was pouring in.

"What is this?" Being in the back of the room, she at least had her distance. But there was nowhere to run either.

The teacher and other students who were closer looked positively nauseous. They were starting to collapse in pain.

'Whatever it is, I shouldn't breathe it.' The girl did her best to cover her nose and mouth with her hands, her back pressed to the wall. 'Once it dissipates, then…' But it was hard to think. She already felt a bit lightheaded.

"Aqune!" Like a rocket, Buguese charged in and threw his cape around Aqune, hoping to shield her.

"Buguese… what's going on?" She felt the Insector lift her from the ground and into his arms. Instantly, Aqune felt safe and warm.

"Don't talk and just hold your breath," he said, as he hurried out of the room with her.

"Insectors?" That was the first thing Aqune noticed when they made it out. There were Insectors in the halls.

"That was an Insector made poison," Buguese said. "It was not a strong enough amount to kill anyone, or it likely would have been too late by the time I found you, but not a good thing for those who inhaled it either. Are you alright?"

"Yes," Aqune said. "A little weak, but I'll be alright. Thank you."

Buguese sighed.

"This could have been avoided if-" But he was distracted by the appearance of the two Riders in the hall.

"Buguese!" Corona shouted.

Hunter was more surprised to see that he was carrying Aqune.

"Let her go!" he yelled.

"Wait… Hunter," Aqune spoke. "Buguese … just saved me."

"Saved you?" Hunter wondered. It didn't make much sense to him. "Probably just so he can use you again. Buguese already kidnapped a spider!"

"What do you mean?!" Aqune exclaimed. She was genuinely confused, not knowing which spider Hunter was referring to.

"We know about Portia now."

Both Buguese and Aqune were shocked to hear this. Exactly how much about Portia did they know?

"I don't know where you heard that name from," Buguese answered. "But you are mistaken once again." Annoyed, the Insector looked to the soldiers in the area. "Destroy the Spider Riders!" After that command, he took off with Aqune.

* * *

"I didn't tell them about Portia," Aqune said. She obviously hadn't even worn her manacle since she'd been posing as a student.

"I doubted you would," Buguese replied. "But someone did." Grasshop was the first suspect that came to mind. He was probably the only one careless enough to say anything, and he had fought them the other day. "Anyway, that's not important now," he continued. "Why didn't you tell me about the Oracle Key?!"

"That's…" she paused. "I wanted to, but I couldn't find you."

"Fine," answered Buguese. He had to admit to himself that it was somewhat his fault. He couldn't really overreact in that case. "Now we must focus on finding it, preferably while the Spider Riders are still being kept busy."

"Right," Aqune answered, worriedly.

* * *

Although Hunter and Corona wanted to pursue Buguese, they certainly had their hands full.

Corona had just finished taking several soldiers out with an array of arrows.

"Hunter, we really shouldn't be fighting in here," she said. "We don't want to cause any more damage to the school."

"Yeah, I know," said Hunter, frustrated. Naturally, he had spotted the people who were in the classroom. He didn't know what had happened to them, but there were definitely victims already.

"Let me out!" Shadow called.

"In the halls?!" Hunter yelled. They weren't exactly wide.

"Just trust me," Shadow said.

"Well, alright," Hunter decided, for lack of better options. "Shadow! Spider out!"

"Thank you," said Shadow. "Here goes!" He launched out a large web, catching all the soldiers in range.

"Woah!" Hunter exclaimed, thoroughly impressed.

"There may not be room for me to move in here, but all you've got to do is drag these guys outside," the spider instructed.

"We'll do that," Corona spoke.

* * *

"Where exactly is the key?" Buguese asked. This time, he was going to find it without anyone interfering.

"We're really close," Aqune said. She was concentrating hard on the key's presence, despite her own headache. "Hmm… this is odd."

"What?" asked Buguese.

"It feels as if the key is below us somehow," answered Aqune.

"If that's so, it won't be an issue." Buguese lowered Aqune gently, though he was still supporting her with one arm. He pulled from his belt the retractable sword and fired at the ground. As a result, a large hole was created.

"It's hollow?" Aqune wondered.

Then, to her surprise, Buguese picked her up again and leapt into the hole. At least it wasn't too far to fall. Just a bit jarring.

"This looks like some sort of shrine," Aqune said. There were intricate paintings on the wall, though they were hard to see clearly when the only light coming in was from above. There were also some statues, and fancy urns placed around.

"The school was built on top of this?" Buguese wondered. It was a little suspicious. But then, if the Keys were sent to the Outer World somehow, he didn't see why Oracle Shrines couldn't appear there either.

"The Key is straight ahead," Aqune deducted.

"Then that is where we'll go," Buguese said. He started to run.

"Wait! Buguese!" From the corner of her eye, Aqune noticed as something shot from the wall. It was a spear, and several more followed.

Buguese was able to catch sight of it, and just at the right timing. With a rolling motion, he avoided getting hit. However, he ended up awkwardly on his back, with Aqune on top of him.

"Buguese… " Aqune mumbled, embarrassed. She managed to crawl off of him.

"Wretched Oracle! Buguese yelled. "She will do anything to get in our way." As a handmaiden, he thought at least Aqune would have been protected. But either he was wrong, or it was the fault of his own presence. Regardless, they had to continue.

This time, a large panel began to crash down from the ceiling. Quickly, Buguese fired at it with his sword. After several swift shots, it had mostly crumbled before it hit the ground (or its intended targets).

Aqune sighed with relief. After the relative ease of pulling the Key from the belfry, she wasn't expecting this much of a challenge.

Both Aqune and Buguese proceeded carefully the rest of the way, looking in all directions for more traps. Fortunately, there were none. Only the Key awaited them.

"At last!" Buguese said. The Insector reached for the Key, which sat in an orb. However, upon touching it, he learned that said orb was actually a barrier. "Aqune, you must take it," he instructed.

"Right," she said.

Buguese stood behind her, as Aqune reached her hand into the orb. Her hands were able to pass through. She pulled out the Key.

"Here," she said, handing it to the Insector.

"Good work," he replied. He put the Key away where it would be safe, and not visible to anyone. Then, he once again lifted Aqune.

"Now we have two," Aqune said.

"Yes, but we can't be sure of that until we make it back to the mansion," Buguese replied.

"Umm…" Aqune spoke, softly.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I rest for a while?" She still didn't feel at full strength. But on top of that, it was still so oddly comfortable to be held like this.

"Do what you like," he answered. He didn't really mind. It actually felt nice to hold her.

"Alright." Aqune closed her eyes.

* * *

Soon, Hunter and Corona had finished fighting the Insectors, and even managed to clean it all up.

"What do you think that was about?" Hunter wondered, as they headed back towards the school. "Buguese didn't seem interested in attacking us. And if they came to beat us, wouldn't they have sent someone stronger than those soldiers?"

"You're right, Hunter," said Corona. "I was thinking the same thing."

"It's weird," said Hunter.

As they made it through the entrance, Corona felt a chill.

"Hunter… I think I understand."

"What?"

"There was an Oracle Key," Corona said. "Somehow… I can tell. But it's gone now."

Though Hunter was terribly confused, he was also concerned.

"Then Buguese must have taken it!"

"I guess…" said Corona. "But, why did I know that?"

"Corona," Venus said. "I don't have all the answers, but this must mean that Spirit Oracle really is on your side."

"Yeah!" Hunter agreed. "And if that's the case, that means we're going to beat the Insectors. We can get back the key they took, and Portia too."

"Hunter…" His enthusiasm was nearly enough to make her feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was fun coming up with the death traps in the way of that Oracle Key. Can't make them all easy to get.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch10-**

Since the prior incident, Aqune had been resting in her room. He knew it wasn't entirely appropriate, but Buguese had opted to retract the curtain and watch over her. It was partially out of worry, and partially out of the fact that he simply liked to watch her. Even though he hated humans passionately, she was always the exception. There were times when he couldn't really hide it.

It was early the next morning, and Aqune was tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Aqune!" Buguese called. Was she having more visions? He remembered the last time, she had woken up afraid.

"Huh?" Aqune opened her eyes, and saw him staring down at her. "Uh… good morning!" she spouted awkwardly. Of course, in this world she could easily tell it was morning by the light coming in from outside.

"Are you alright?" asked Buguese. Once he came closer, he could see her forehead was wet from sweating.

"Oh, I think so," Aqune answered, with a nod. "I saw him again. That man." She reached out her hand, taking hold of his. "This time, I felt something different. I think I may have met him once before. I must have."

He was shocked to hear this, and let go of Aqune's hand. How could she have known a human, if she never even left the Insector lands until now? Unless it was someone from her past. In which case, then she wouldn't remember him.

"What does this man look like?" he questioned. Maybe if he knew who it was exactly, that could answer his questions.

"Umm… he had short hair," began Aqune. She never really saw him in too much detail, though. "It was dark colored. I think… he wore it in a thin ponytail. He was an adult. Average height and weight…" Aqune couldn't think of anything else in particular which stood out. That description didn't even make him sound as particularly ominous as he was to her.

"I see," said Buguese. The man didn't sound familiar to him. "Aqune, I believe we need to step up our search for the Oracle Keys. Whoever this man is, we can't allow him to interfere. I fear he may show himself, as the rest of your visions were true."

"Yes, I understand," Aqune answered.

"Meet me immediately after school, by the front entrance," Buguese instructed. "We will begin a new operation."

"Right," she replied.

* * *

"Hunter, can I tell you something weird?" Corona's voice sounded nervous.

"Uh… yeah," Hunter replied, curiously.

"I had this dream last night," she spoke. "It was really scary, but I don't even understand why I felt that way."

"What was it about?" the boy asked.

"A man," said Corona. "Or that's what it looked like. I think he was human, but the only thing I could see was his shadow. But… I was shaking when I woke up."

"Huh? That is weird," Hunter agreed. "You know, there's been a lot of weird things happening lately. We'd better stop the Insectors before it's too late!"

"Yeah," Corona agreed.

* * *

Classes that day were as close to usual as possible. Only math was cancelled. The teacher was out sick, rumored to be in the hospital, as were many of the students. The classroom itself was under police investigation for toxin leaks.

As for the hole in the floor Buguese had made, it was miraculously covered overnight, although there was yellow tape around that area.

Of course, once the day was over, Aqune headed towards her scheduled meeting place with Buguese. Or, that was her intention anyway.

As Aqune turned down a hallway she'd been through many times, the girl froze. Standing before her was the principal. More rather, she recognized him as the very man she'd been seeing in her visions.

For a minute, the two just stared at each other.

"So, we finally meet again," the man said.

Aqune had no idea what to think, or how to reply. Never before had she been this terrified. Once more, visions flashed through her head. It was the worst possible timing for her to black out again.

* * *

Naturally, Buguese was kept waiting by the door.

'Where could she be? She wouldn't forget, would she?' he pondered. 'Of course not. That isn't like her. Perhaps… the Spider Riders? Did she go with them instead?' That he was willing to believe, bothersome as the thought was to him.

Frustrated, the human-disguised Insector left his spot by the door, going in search of his hated Riders. He had a good idea of where Aqune went to study with them. Well, she said she was studying, but he dreaded to know what really went on.

When Buguese peered through the window, Corona and Hunter were indeed in the room. But Aqune was not.

He threw the door open without knocking.

"Where is Aqune?!" he demanded.

"Huh? Brandon?" Corona wondered. "She's not here."

Hunter nodded. But thinking about it, he was rather concerned. He had seen her that day during classes, but was still hung up over what had happened the day before. Especially now that she didn't join the two of them for studying.

"When I saw her yesterday, she was with Buguese. She claims that he saved her, but… I don't trust him."

"Don't be absurd!" Buguese exclaimed. "That's simply your own bias." But Hunter's insinuations about her disappearance also brought him a disconcerting thought. Obviously it wasn't his own doing, but what if that man had something to do with it?

Buguese tried to calm himself, before he accidentally revealed his own identity to them. "Tell me," he spoke. "Do either of you know of a man with short dark hair in a ponytail?"

"Uh…" Hunter pondered. Actually, he did. "That sounds like the principal!"

"The principal?" Buguese wondered out loud. "Then I'll find him." He ran out of the room without another word.

"Hey, Hunter," Corona said, worriedly. "Somehow, that reminds me of the figure I saw in my dream."

* * *

Maybe he was just as ridiculous as Hunter to jump to conclusions, Buguese realized. But if there was any chance Aqune and that man met, he couldn't wait idly. Even if he was wrong, at least he could deal with this potential enemy. The Insector quickly sent out some messenger bugs to search.

* * *

Aqune was slightly dazed when she awoke. She was lying on a bed, she realized. The furnishings she could see were actually similar to those of the room she'd been staying in on Earth, though not exactly identical.

"Where is this?" Her memories of earlier started to come back to her. The man she met in the hall was…

Aqune left the room she was in, and once again found herself face-to-face with him.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying her best to stay composed, which was difficult.

"It's so good to see you again," he responded. "I've waited a long time to have you back… my daughter Aqune."

"Wh-what? You're…" Aqune was at a complete loss for words. She'd never had a family… well, not that she remembered. Was he telling the truth?

The man was just standing there silently.

"I… I'm really sorry," Aqune said. "I don't remember anything about my past." Yet, it almost made sense. That could have been why he seemed familiar. And her blacking out… was it because of her head trying to deal with the blocked memories?

"I see," he said. "Well, that's all well and good. Because now, we can just start anew."

"Wait," Aqune said, feeling more than a little uncomfortable, and not ready to start anything. "If you're my father, why are you in the Outer World?"

The man simply smirked. "I do suppose I should explain to you."

Aqune nodded, curious.

"This was the world I was born in," the man began. "Although I later came to yours. In other words, that makes both you and your sister half-Earthen."

"I… have a sister?" Aqune replied. That was perhaps enough to counter the shock of the 'half-Earthen' part completely.

"Indeed you do," he replied. "And she too is a handmaiden. But let's get back to the point. This story is about me."

"Alright," she said, not that she had much of a choice but to listen.

"Before I took the role of principal, I was in fact an archeologist," he explained. "A prominent and wealthy one. In my work, I discovered an ancient temple, dedicated to a being called Spirit Oracle. Someone who, I learned, was the goddess of another world."

"A temple in this world?" Aqune wondered. "Then, that explains the shrine that Buguese and I found."

"You mean the one beneath the school," he answered. "Though I have not ventured inside it myself, I was aware of it. When I came to this town, I heard legends that the school was cursed by an ancient spirit. No one truly believed it, but I knew it must have had some connection to that land. Indeed, the Inner World may be an obscure legend in the eyes of Earthens, but not one which can't be proven real. And after I found the temple in the mountains, I was transported to that very world. It was a fascinating world. One with a grand sun, and a color-changing sky. I almost thought of it as a paradise. But there was just a little issue."

"What was that?"

"Insectors," he answered. "Monstrous creatures, who made a peaceful life in that world impossible. As long as they existed, there was no paradise."

"Wait!" Aqune interrupted, rather upset by this. "It's true that the Insectors have done wrong. But they're fighting for an important reason. They-"

"Have no sunlight. So I've heard," he answered. "But I still have no pity for them. It was my goal to erase them."

"No!" Aqune exclaimed.

"Yes," he argued. "And I even found a means to do so. The Oracle Keys. With the power they possess, I could destroy them. But I learned that this power could not be freely wielded. Not without an Oracle handmaiden, who was capable of channeling that power. Thus, I had two daughters. I sent them both to train as handmaidens, so they could one day help me carry out my wish."

Aqune was tense, Of course she couldn't agree to help him, regardless of who he was.

"Oh, but sadly there were more obstacles in my way than that," the man stated. One day, I met with your leader Mantid, while in pursuit of an Oracle Key.

* * *

_The man was hyperventilating with anger. The Oracle Key… it was so close, yet it was in the disgusting hands of that Insector._

_"That is mine!" he shouted. He pulled out a handgun, which he had brought with him from his own world, and fired at the Insector. Mantid simply sliced the bullet in half with his pincer, before it could reach him._

_"An Earthen weapon like that cannot defeat me!" he declared. Mantid appeared to be taken aback by his own words, however. "An Earthen?! What use could you have for the keys?"_

_"What use could a monster like you have for them?!" the man spat back._

_"They could be used to save the Insector people," answered Mantid. "We live in a world with no sunlight."_

_"For an amicable reason like that?" He scowled. "I think not!"_

_Mantid began to laugh._

_"I didn't say that was the only use for them. You interest me, Earthen" he spoke. "I propose we make a deal."_

_"A deal?!" he replied angrily. "What kind of deal?"_

_"Once I use the Keys, you may have them," Mantid replied. "Then, you can do whatever you like."_

* * *

"Mantid fled with the Key after that. As for me, I couldn't trust him at all. And I couldn't take living in that world of dirty Insectors. I discovered a way out, and instead chose to live out my life here. However, I brought back one relic from my journey." He pulled from his pocket an Oracle Key.

"The last Key!" Aqune exclaimed.

"It was truly ironic that two of the Keys were in this world all along," he said. "I got the strangest message the other day, from Mantid himself. He told me to provide shelter for the entire Insector army, and that the Keys were here. While that was a most ridiculous request, I agreed to it. You could say it sparked hope into my life once more. And to learn that my daughters were here as well? Ideal. I was bound to win. Now, you can finally help me."

"No!" Aqune shouted. "I can't betray the Insectors."

Then, suddenly the ceiling began collapsing. From a giant hole above, Buguese crashed in.

"Buguese!" Aqune exclaimed, running to him.

The Insector rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Aqune said. "But I'm glad you came."

The principal, being witness to this, looked outraged.

"Insector! You will not interfere."

"Interfere with what?!" Buguese asked. Then, he noticed what was in the man's hand. "The Oracle Key!"

Buguese pulled from under his belt Aqune's manacle, and handed it to her.

"Huh?" She put it on, confused.

"Now is the time to fight. Charades are needless if we have the Keys."

"Buguese, first… you should know something," Aqune said. "This man is my father."

"What?!"

"That is true," the principal said. "And that is why I won't surrender her to you. My daughter is a key to wiping out Insectors forever."

"Even if you're my father, I will never do that!" declared Aqune. "Oracle's Kindness!" she was then transformed.

"Not so fast!" the man said. "I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to listen."

He pulled a switch on the wall. A section of it opened, and wires came out. Before they could do a thing, both Aqune and Buguese were caught and pinned to the wall.

Although Buguese couldn't move, he was glaring fiercely at the man. He hasn't been so angry in a long time.

"Buguese…" Aqune said. "I'll definitely get the Key."

"But how?" he asked.

"Thanks to what you just gave me. Portia, spider out!"

"That's…" the man started, stepping back.

"Bind him," Aqune said. She was cringing internally. If he was her father (she was almost sure he really was), she wished they didn't have to be enemies.

Portia followed instructions, and the principal was trapped in webs. The Key had dropped to the floor beside him.

"What good will this do you?" asked the man. "Now we're all trapped, and no one has the Key."

Portia proceeded to cut through the wires around Buguese and Aqune.

"I'm sorry," Aqune said. She bent over and took the Key from the ground, which she handed straight to Buguese.

"We have the third Key at last," Buguese spoke. But he didn't sound completely happy. The Insector wanted to gloat. But what stopped him was the hurt which showed on Aqune's face. "Aqune, let's go," he said.

"Right," Aqune replied. She climbed on Portia, as did Buguese. Aqune clutched the man with one arm, leaning her body on him.

"Human! If you dare try to harm Aqune, you will pay," Buguese declared. Then, Portia leapt through the hole, onto the roof.

"That's Portia!" Another surprise instantly awaited the pair. The Spider Riders stood outside.

"Aqune?!" Hunter shouted. "What's going on?!"

"That isn't any of your business!" Buguese spat.

"Yes it is!" Magma said. "That spider is my business!"

The Riders had followed messenger bugs they saw around out of suspicion, and came to this site. But they never expected to run into Portia.

"Wait…" said Aqune. "I… I can't lie anymore." Any attempt she made at lying would be clumsy, now that she was atop a spider with a manacle on her wrist. Knowing this as well, Buguese saw no reason to stop her. "Portia is my spider," she admitted, sadly. "And all along, I was Buguese's ally. Still, I enjoyed being friends with you, Hunter, Corona. Please be careful of the man who lives here."

"Hold on!" Corona said, trying to make sense of everything.

"Now that we have the Key, we will not stay around," Buguese declared. He fired a blast to distract the Riders, and Portia took off before the smoke cleared.

'What will happen now?' Buguese wondered, as he held the trembling Aqune tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have definitely wondered what Aqune and Corona's parents are like, and what happened to them. Odds are, they were on the transport that crashed and died. But what if one or both of them did survive, and why wouldn't they try to find their daughters if they did? Aqune might be hard to find, but Corona is one of the famous Spider Riders. It makes for some interesting potential.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a scene that could be considered a bit gruesome. I didn't describe it in detail, because I didn't want this fic to get to M rating territory just for one chapter, but just be warned anyway.

**Ch11** -

Hunter was with the others in the temple the next morning. Even if it was a school day, neither he nor Corona felt any motivation to go. Rather, they'd be wasting their time if they attended, they thought. Hunter still felt very unsettled about what had transpired the day before. The memory played clearly through his head.

* * *

_Magma was furious, unsurprisingly._

_"We can't let that girl escape. Now we know she's the one who took Portia!"_

_"But she's…" Hunter tried to speak, but he wasn't sure how to argue about this. "Maybe there's a better explanation," he instead continued. "Aqune is a Spider Rider, and Spider Riders are heroes, so she couldn't be bad."_

_"Who did she warn us to be careful of?" Corona wondered, interrupting their debate. It almost seemed like Aqune was especially directing the warning towards her. This made her already tense mind feel just a bit worse. "Unless… does she mean the principal lives in this place?"_

_"What?!" Hunter exclaimed. "How is he dangerous?" Annoying, yes, but that was a far stretch from dangerous._

_"But it makes sense," Corona answered. "He looks just like the man I saw in my dream. Brandon came to us asking about that same person, when he wanted to find Aqune. From the way he sounded, I think he was worried about her. When we found Aqune just now, the person she was together with was Buguese. So I think Brandon is really Buguese, and the principal isn't who he says he is either."_

_Hunter was definitely startled. But it did all seem to fit together._

_"Yeah. Buguese and Brandon do kind of look alike. And if Aqune is a Spider Rider, it finally makes sense how Buguese seemed to know her from the start. If she really just moved here, there's no way someone from the Inner World would know about her."_

_"I don't care who's really who," replied Magma. "I can't just sit around here talking when I've finally found Portia." Then he took off on Brutus._

_"Wait!" Hunter called. "We still have to find out what the principal is up to!"_

_"On the contrary, this is way too troublesome, Hunter," Lumen said. "We fight Insectors, but we can't start fighting humans now too. Let's go back."_

_"I… I have to agree," Corona spoke up._

_"But why? We're heroes, remember?!" Hunter shouted. "If there's evil, we have to stop them no matter what."_

_"Because I'm afraid," Corona admitted. "We may have found the truth about Aqune, but I don't even know who or what I am anymore. Maybe some things are best left uncovered."_

_"Good. Then it's settled," Lumen spoke._

* * *

Now, they were all back at their base, even Magma. But not a thing was settled. Every minute spent sitting there just gave Hunter more worries.

* * *

Meanwhile, all of the Big Four were again gathered for a meeting in Mantid's chambers, as well as Aqune.

"At last, the third Oracle Key is mine," Mantid gloated. "Our ambitions are nearly at their conclusion."

"Wow!" exclaimed Grasshop in admiration. "We're actually winning!"

"It was Buguese who got the Keys," Beerain pointed out.

" _Who_ gets the Keys doesn't matter," replied Mantid. "That is why I need all of you to ensure we take the final Key. The one which is unfortunately in the Spider Riders' possession."

"All of us?" Stags wondered. As a man who loved an honorable one-on-one duel, that seemed like too much.

"This is a dire situation," Mantid answered. "There are five Riders to defeat. Six if you count the one who is only a child. And there are five of you, including Aqune."

"Aqune is fighting too?" Buguese asked.

"Indeed," Mantid answered. "She may be a human as well, but she is stronger than any ordinary Spider Rider. Now, there are to be no more questions. You must head out as soon as possible, and return here with the Key."

* * *

Aqune stood before Buguese outside. She looked worried, and honestly didn't need anything else to be concerned about at this point, but wouldn't say anything.

"I'm sorry it came down to this, Aqune," said Buguese. "But Mantid-sama is right. We must take the Key no matter what. This will save all Insectors."

"I know," she answered. She was barely looking up at him.

"Therefore, you will fight too." Buguese took the red and white mask from under his cape, and placed it on Aqune. Now, she had to fight.

* * *

The group of Spider Riders were a short distance away from the temple, gathering some food from the trees. Hunter noticed that no one else had even spoken of the previous incident again. That was the only thing prompting him to keep quiet too. But nonetheless, definitely all of them were uneasy.

"Hey, what's that?" Sparkle was bent down, picking some fruit, when she spotted a shadow up above them.

"Insectors!" Igneous shouted. "They're persistent!" Still, he and the rest were not expecting the emergence of the entire Big Four.

"Hunter Steele! Hand over the Key!" Buguese ordered, looking angry.

"Absolutely not!" he replied.

"You'll regret that choice," said Buguese. But he rather wanted to fight anyway.

"Wait," Stags interrupted, seeing that Buguese was about to draw his weapon. "I will be the one to defeat Hunter Steele. You have already seen firsthand the power of the Keys. I have not been granted such an opportunity."

Buguese did want to protest. However, he was aware that Stags was stronger than him. Perhaps things would work out better this way. "Very well."

"You again?" Hunter wondered, as Stags approached him. It wasn't that he was afraid, but definitely a bit nervous. The last time he fought against Stags, it didn't end all that well, and he hadn't had much time to prepare for a rematch.

"You're going to give Portia back to us!" Magma called, already jumping at Aqune. The girl effortlessly dodged. Aqune smirked, and slammed Magma with a swift blow from her sword.

"Magma!" Igneous said worriedly. However, he was distracted by Beerain's whip, which flew in his direction. He narrowly avoided it, and transformed as fast as he could.

All the others, aside from Magma who had done it earlier, transformed then as well.

Corona decided to take on Buguese, and approached him, armed to attack.

"If you think you can possibly defeat me, you're wrong!" Buguese said, and started to fire blasts at her. Evading, Corona began to follow his lead with her arrows.

"Uh… so this leaves me against the prince?" Grasshop thought nervously. Not that he really was enthusiastic about fighting any of them.

"Aww… too bad for you," Lumen said, and smacked the bug with his sword.

"Can I at least go back and get a Machine-Sector?" he asked, rubbing his head where it was bruised.

"No, that's cheating," Sparkle said. And she proceeded to pound at him with her yo-yo barrage.

Grasshop yelled out in pain. But not all the Riders were having as easy a fight.

"You're pathetic," spat Aqune, as she hit Magma with yet another rough attack. It was obvious he and Brutus wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. The normally sweet Aqune fought absolutely brutally.

Igneous seemed to have the upper hand against Beerain, as he was quite the skilled tactician. But Corona was struggling against Buguese, and Hunter was being pounded by Stags again.

"Won't you use the Key's power?" Stags questioned, anxious. "Otherwise, you will die in this battle."

Hunter groaned. Sure, he wanted to, but he wasn't really sure how to do so freely.

Corona was knocked to the floor, as one of Buguese's blasts of energy made contact.

"Hunter…" she said worriedly, as her eyes met him. More than herself, he was all she could think of. Then, a sudden light was released from where she lay. Once again the Oracle Key Hunter held began to react.

"At last!" Stags said.

"Yeah, finally!" Hunter agreed. "Stags, now it gets serious!"

Stags began to charge at the powered form of Hunter, while Hunter made a move simultaneously.

"Full Screw!" Hunter yelled. The massive blast shot at Stags.

"Something's wrong." Just as this happened, Aqune was hit with a bad feeling, which even the influence of her mask could not prevent. She ran towards Buguese, grabbing him by the hand, and tried to move back.

The Insector was confused, but only until he noticed exactly what was troubling her. A blast was coming, something much more massive than Hunter's Full Screw. Even from the slight distance they'd gotten, Buguese and Aqune couldn't really avoid it.

In an instant, the battlefield turned silent. All warriors had fallen. Aqune's mask had broken from the impact, and aside from that, all of the Riders had come out of their transformed states. Hunter's Key was lying on the floor beside him.

Aqune stirred, despite the pain she was feeling all over.

"What was that? Buguese!"

"Aqune…" he was barely conscious, but could at least acknowledge her.

It was the principal who then stepped onto the scene, laughing to himself. Approaching Hunter, he bent over and took the Key. Even though both Aqune and Buguese saw this, they were too weak to do a thing.

"At the very least, I still have one other daughter," the man commented, noticing Corona as well. "The one who didn't foolishly deny me." He started to drag her away.

"Corona…" Aqune spoke. "She's my…" She paused. "Buguese, we have to stop him." Will alone propelled her to a standing position.

"Yes, he has the Key," Buguese replied. His priorities differed, but he stood along with her.

"Oh Aqune, you really think you can stop me?" the principal said, deciding not to ignore her completely. "You should just feel lucky I didn't kill you with my cannon," he continued. "But I really couldn't have used its full power. After all, I need your sister alive."

"Wh-what…" Hunter's eyes cracked open. He saw Corona and the principal, Buguese and Aqune following after. But he couldn't move.

* * *

The principal finally stopped at the temple.

"Why here?" Aqune questioned.

"You should know very well this is a portal between worlds," answered the man. "You used it to get here."

He dropped Corona to the floor, and kneeled down in front of what appeared to be four small dents in the wall. However, he pushed the Key into one of them, and it fit there perfectly.

Aqune ran to Corona's side. Buguese, however, used his second wind to charge at the principal with his blade. Although the sword made a cut, and his arm was bleeding, the man retaliated, easily able to push the weakened Buguese down.

"You really thought you were going to kill me?" he mocked.

"I must have the Keys!" Buguese declared. "And if I have to kill you to take it, that will be no loss for me."

"Both of us feel we need it, it seems," answered the man. "That's why I built that cannon as insurance some time ago. Right now, it's aimed right at the home I so kindly lent to the entire Insector army. If you don't want all of them dead, why don't you bring me the Keys you have? Then, I can finish setting up the portal back to my future paradise."

Buguese glared at him, holding his sword but not making any moves.

"You wouldn't risk using such a weapon," Buguese said. "The Oracle Keys will be destroyed in the process."

"Oracle Keys can't be destroyed so simply," he replied. "I've run plenty of tests on the one I held all these years."

"Corona…" Aqune held the girl who was said to be her sister, as her eyes finally opened.

"Aqune?" Corona spoke, in surprise. "Why are we here?"

"That man. He's…" Aqune started. "He's after your power. He's our father."

"Father?" Corona wondered. "Then, you're saying you're my sister?" She tried to run all this through her head, but wasn't getting anywhere. The fact that she had a headache already from getting blasted wasn't helping matters. "Aqune, I'm sorry," Corona continued. "I don't remember you. I don't remember my past at all."

"Then we're the same," Aqune said, half-smiling. "We're both handmaidens as well, so I believe it's true."

"A handmaiden?" Corona wondered. Now, things really were making sense. Well, a bit more sense. "You mean you don't remember your past either?"

"No," answered Aqune. "Not before I was with the Insectors."

Right, the Insectors. Corona recalled that they had just been in the middle of fighting against them. And fighting Aqune. Noticeably, Buguese was in the temple too.

"Aqune, please tell me," Corona spoke. "Are you really our enemy? If you're a handmaiden, and a Spider Rider, then why?"

Aqune looked away. She didn't want to make eye-contact.

"I really enjoyed being your friend. But it's complicated." She shook her head and faced Corona once more. Now was the time to just be honest. "I'm a Spider Rider, and I don't want to be anyone's enemy, but it would be wrong of me to betray Buguese. You see, he's a very important person to me. I think it's sort of like the way Hunter is to you." Her face was lightly flushed.

'Aqune truly thinks that much of me?' Buguese thought to himself. 'She isn't angry?'

"How about one of you hurries along and gets the Keys?" said the principal. "Otherwise, I might just fire the cannon right now because I'm so bored. And I can do it whenever I want, even from this spot."

"Then that must mean you have some sort of switch!" Buguese said. "I simply have to take it from you!"

Angrily, he jumped at the man, near ripping his shirt off.

"Rash movements are not recommended," the principal said, while pulling the switch from his pants pocket. "Now then…" he slowly started lowering his finger, giving Buguese a chance to let go of him.

"No!" Aqune exclaimed. Running in, she knocked the switch from his hand, barely catching it as it fell.

As Aqune was now awkwardly on the floor, the principal stepped on her back in response. "I have to admit, that surprised me. But how long do you think you can you keep up this meager resistance?"

Aqune cringed, but tried to keep a tight grip around the switch. Buguese was furious, and Corona worried.

Suddenly, laughing echoed into the room.

"Mantid-sama!" Buguese realized.

Rather than responding to Buguese, Mantid just quietly walked inside, his gaze focused on the principal.

"It seems it's time for our partnership to come to an end, Earthen," Mantid finally spoke.

"G-go ahead," the man replied worriedly. This, he absolutely hadn't anticipated. He stepped away from Aqune. "Restore your sunlight or… or do whatever you want! The last key is here. But then-"

"Oh I planned to take the Key whether you offered it to me or not," Mantid replied. "But you won't live to see it ever again!"

The Insector leader thrust down his pincers, slicing off the man's very head.

Aqune gasped. Buguese and Corona seemed equally stunned.

"Mantid… why?" Aqune asked. Even if they were an enemy, the thought of anyone losing their lives upset Aqune. And, he was her father after all. "All life is precious," she spoke. A bright aura grew around her.

"No. Not all life," Mantid replied, grinning. The remaining three keys, which were also glowing now, he placed in the slots. "Now, everything is as I planned."

Then, the entire room became filled with light.

"Huh?" Hunter stopped in his tracks, shocked. Just as he was arriving, he could see a tremendous light all the way from outside the building. And just as quickly as it formed, the light suddenly faded.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch12-**

"You guys! This is really bad." Trying his best to stay calm, which was difficult, Hunter had rushed back to the site of the battle, where he'd left his comrades. It seemed they were finally regaining consciousness.

"Hunter… what happened?" Igneous asked weakly.

"I'm not completely sure, but something weird is going on at the temple," he replied. "I thought Corona, Aqune and Buguese were there, as well as the principal." He wasn't even sure how much sense he was making, but continued on. "I only peeked in from the outside, but there was this blinding light, and it looks empty now."

"This principal…" Stags spoke. "If he was behind this, I think he could be a formidable new enemy. Hunter Steele…" he faced the boy. "Your attack was very powerful. I would have liked to see just how powerful, without his attack interfering."

"Wait… you saw what happened?!" Hunter wondered.

"Yes," answered Stags. "Despite my inability to retaliate in time, I witnessed the whole thing. That human left, taking your ally with him. He also took the key."

"Corona…" Hunter said worriedly. "We have to go after him!"

"I propose we form a temporary alliance," Stags responded. "We are your enemies, and you are ours. But now, our goal is the same. We have to find our own comrades, and deal with this strong opponent."

This surprised Hunter, but he wasn't about to refuse either.

"Alright."

"Ally with humans?" Grasshop said. "Stags, did you hit your head too hard? That's a terrible idea."

"Disgusting as it may seem, for now we must," Beerain replied. "Don't forget, we need the last Oracle Key."

"Hunter, I don't trust them for a second!" Igneous shouted.

"Me neither," Magma agreed. "As soon as they get the chance, they'll betray us. We should finish them now and go alone."

"Actually, this may be a pretty wise tactic," Lumen argued.

"Yeah, it could be fun," Sparkle added. "And you guys can trust Hunter, right?"

"I suppose we have to," Igneous said, sighing.

* * *

Corona, Aqune and Buguese were glancing around at their surroundings. They were definitely back in the Inner World. The cannon's switch, as well as the principal's lifeless corpse, were laying beside them.

"Why is it so dark?" Corona wondered. "It's daytime." At least, she didn't think any time had magically passed by.

"Because this is the Insector world," replied Aqune. "It's because of this darkness that we need the Keys. This is how it's looked for a very long time."

Mantid's figure was suddenly hovering above them in the sky.

"Your form!" Buguese said, mildly stunned. Mantid's skin was now a much brighter green. He seemed to be draped in a cape of light.

"Do you like it?" Mantid replied, amused. "This is because the Oracle Keys are mine now. Thanks to Aqune activating them, I could finally take their power."

"In that case, now you must restore the sun," Buguese replied. It had been too long since Aqune was away. The world was looking even worse than usual.

"I won't," replied Mantid.

"What are you saying?!" Buguese responded, angrily.

Aqune put a hand over her mouth, shocked.

"I never once planned to do something like that," Mantid replied. "Do you even know why you lost your sun in the first place? It was the result of a time once before, when I tried to take the Oracle Keys. And finally, not only your dark world will die out, but the entire Inner World along with it, as I've always wanted."

"Wh-why would you want to destroy it?" Aqune stuttered. To her, that was beyond comprehension.

"Because I despise Spirit Oracle and this world she created," Mantid answered. "She chose to bring me, an Earthen into this world. And here, I fought blindly for her. I lost Lorraine, the woman I loved, as a result. And so this is my revenge! If you thought I was ever intending to help you in your quest for sunlight, then you too were blinded." He turned towards Buguese. "You foolishly trusted me. But all you Insectors hated humans so much, you thought all your problems were their fault."

"I will make you return the sun!" Buguese declared. Ignoring any pain in his body, he jumped into the air, towards Mantid. But he was promptly deflected back to the ground, by what seemed as gentle as a tap.

Aqune's hands were clasped, and they tightened with worry as she was witness to this.

"Poor Buguese," Mantid mocked. "Why don't I just put you out of your misery before you make a bigger fool of yourself?" He fired a blast from the air towards Buguese, who was struggling to stand back up.

"Buguese!" Aqune exclaimed. The girl ran in the path of the blast. As the dust settled, she collapsed to the ground, bleeding.

"How foolish," said Mantid.

"Aqune!" Buguese, who had at least now managed to sit up, pulled her into his arms. He wanted to ask if she was alright, but it was a stupid question when she obviously wasn't. "Why?" he simply asked.

"Because…" Aqune coughed, and blood was dripping from her mouth. "I won't let anyone else die. Especially not you."

"Aqune, please hang on," he said, holding her tightly. "That's pointless if you're the one who dies."

"Now that we've gotten that distraction out of the way, I'm still going to kill you, Buguese," Mantid stated. Laughing, he fired off the same attack. Buguese knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it fast enough.

"Whatever happens, Aqune…" he said softly, as he did his best to shield her already injured body. "I love you." He was slammed by an intense force, and his eyes shut.

"Now, don't think I've forgotten you, Corona," Mantid continued. He had a malicious grin, and was already moving on to his next kill.

Seeing what happened to the other two, she was obviously shaking. Corona knew there wasn't a way for her to strike back quickly enough, at least not out of her transformed state. And transforming would take much too long. She simply braced herself.

"Stop!"

"Hunter!" She was overjoyed. All of a sudden, Hunter was standing behind her, along with the other Spider Riders. They were fully transformed. Surprisingly, the others from the Big Four were there as well.

"Corona! Are you okay? Where is this?" Questions filled Hunter's mind. They were only increasing in number when he caught sight of Buguese and Aqune lying in blood, and the beheaded principal. It seemed like an outright massacre.

"This is the Inner World," Corona answered. She moved closer to where the others stood. "But Mantid is trying to destroy it. He says this was his plan all along. And he has the power of all the Oracle Keys."

"Th-the Inner World?!" Hunter wondered. "I made it?" Despite what was going on, he was almost excited. "Well, it's gloomier than I expected. But either way, now that I'm here, I won't let you destroy it, Mantid! And you won't hurt anyone else!"

"Well, the Insector world has always been the gloomiest part," Grasshop pointed out. "But now it's even creepier than usual. Mantid-sama did this?"

Hunter paid no mind to Grasshop, and leapt straight at Mantid.

"Full Air!"

The blast did nothing to its target, who just knocked Hunter away.

"No!" Corona shouted. Quickly, she transformed herself like the rest of them. "Elsrow!"

"That puny attack will not hurt me either," Mantid said, after just absorbing it. "Thanks to the Keys, I have become omnipotent."

Igneous attacked next, then Magma. All of them, even the Insectors took turns. But not one could hurt Mantid. On the other hand, Mantid's attacks he threw back at them were tremendously strong.

"I will never give up," Hunter said. His determination was only sparked further, seeing how everyone was getting hurt. Even if it was helpless, if he had no Keys and Mantid had four, he couldn't just stand around watching. He wouldn't. "Shadow, don't you agree?"

"Yeah," the Spider replied. "I'm always ready to fight."

Shadow jumped at Mantid, aiming for an attack. Once they were close, Hunter too thrust his weapon.

"Your persistence is simply an annoyance," Mantid said, firing a shot of energy at them. Unsurprisingly, the two crashed down. They seemed badly hurt.

The others who were watching were horrified. But they weren't sure just what they could do. Mantid truly did seem omnipotent.

"Now, I'm done with all of these pointless distractions. You're all going to die anyway, so you may as well have the honor of dying before the rest of the world."

"Hunter…" Corona said. Despite how hurt his body looked to her, as she watched him, she noticed the determination hadn't left his eyes. It was clear that no matter what, he was going to keep trying.

'I can't lose hope either,' Corona thought to herself. 'No matter how bad this seems. If I'm a handmaiden, I may be the only one who can save him.'

Now, Hunter could see the determination in Corona's gaze too, as her body was surrounded in light. He was certain things would turn out alright.

"Spirit Oracle, lend Hunter your power," prayed Corona. "Please, or nobody will be able to save this world."

"What happened?!" Although Mantid was about to fire another blast, no power would come forth. In an instant, the Oracle Keys were floating away from him. Floating to Hunter.

"The Keys!" Hunter exclaimed. "Thanks, Corona!"

The girl nodded in reply, but was still concentrating her power. Now, Hunter too felt himself being absorbed in light. Massive power began to rush into him, as well as to Shadow.

"Hunter," Shadow said. "Is this the strength of all four Keys?"

Before Hunter could even reply, he felt his armor changing. Shadow too was seemingly evolving to a new form.

"That's exactly right," Hunter said, as the glow finally faded.

"My power!" Mantid shouted, furious. "How dare you take it from me?! Now, my ambition… everything…"

"Time to finish this!" Hunter declared.

"Got it!" Shadow answered.

"Full Mine!"

It was an amazing sight, as the powerful wave appeared, and collided with Mantid. The sky was filled with a cloud of dust.

"No…" Mantid was weak, but he was still alive. He crawled towards Hunter and Shadow. "No! I will not allow this!"

Hunter's exhaustion was catching up to him as well. Even with all the extra power the Keys gave him, he wasn't sure he could fight too much longer. But he knew he had to keep holding on, at least just a little.

"Mantid, it's over!" Hunter declared. "The Inner World Gramps found, which I've always searched for… I will protect it!"

He swung down his blade at Mantid, to deal the finishing blow. But then, something compelled the blade to stop.

"What?!"

"Spirit Oracle!" exclaimed Mantid. From the sky, her divine figure appeared.

"Hunter Steele…" Hunter heard a feminine voice echo in his head.

"Who are you?" he asked. In an instant, the world around him seemed to vanish. All he saw before him was the sky, and Spirit Oracle herself.

"I am Spirit Oracle, the creator of this world," she spoke. "Thank you, Earthen, for your actions to save the world from destruction."

"Yeah, of course," Hunter said. "There's no way I'd let Mantid destroy it." Hunter was finding this situation very weird now, but decided not to dwell on it. "Mantid is still alive," he continued. "I have to stop him."

"Mantid too must live," said the Oracle. "His life is still one of equal value to any other. However, he needs to be returned to his own world. Everyone, human and Insector, Earthen or otherwise, should be returned to their proper home. And the portal between the worlds will be sealed for good."

"Hey, hold on!" Hunter shouted. "You don't mean me too, right?!"

"Yes, even you."

Then, the world around Hunter returned to normal. The others were still there waiting. And a portal appeared in front of them all.

"Now what's happening?" Igneous asked.

Insectors were starting to reappear in the Inner World in masses. Then, both Mantid and Hunter's bodies were lifted into the air. They were being drawn towards the portal.

"Hunter!" exclaimed Corona.

"No way!" Hunter yelled. "I won't go back! Not after I finally made it to the Inner World." He was using all his might to run in place, trying to escape the portal's pull. Mantid was already completely absorbed by it. He was far too weak to struggle.

"Go back?!" Corona yelled.

"Spirit Oracle wants to send me back to Earth!" Hunter said. "But I won't go! Even if I have to run like this forever, I'll never give up!"

"Hang on, Hunter!" Shadow said. Quickly, he shot out as much thread as he could. Hunter was caught, and they tightened around him.

"Shadow, thanks!" called Hunter.

"I won't lose the only human worthy of being called my partner!" Shadow declared. He walked backwards, struggling to pull Hunter away from the portal.

Finally, the portal began to look smaller. It kept on shrinking, until it had finally vanished completely.

"You did it, Shadow!" Corona called, excitedly.

Hunter laughed, now feeling relieved, as he stood on the ground released from Shadow's threads.

"There's no way to travel between worlds anymore. I guess this is my home now."

"Are you sure that's alright?" Corona asked, though she was glad with the turn of events. "You do have a home in the Outer World."

"Well, yeah, that's true," said Hunter. "But I told you, this is where I've wanted to be all of my life. I'm glad I made it here. And I'm going to keep protecting this world for as long as it takes."

"Not just you. I… all of us will be fighting with you," declared Corona.

* * *

"Buguese, isn't the sun beautiful?" Aqune stood at Buguese's side in the castle. The two were looking out a window in the office which Buguese had been using.

"Yes it is," he replied. "Much more than the sun from the surface. I never thought I would see this day. I almost didn't."

When Spirit Oracle emerged, she had done more than return everyone to their worlds. She also restored the Insector sun, and lastly, healed the injuries of all who were present. Even Buguese and Aqune, though their wounds would have been fatal otherwise.

"Just be grateful to Spirit Oracle," Aqune replied. "She is the reason all good things come."

Aqune may have lost a father, but she found a sister, and good friends too. She could even freely spend time with them, now that the Insectors had no further reason to fight against humans. They weren't enemies now. There was even one more thing she gained.

"By the way, Buguese…" she continued. "Hearing that you loved me, I almost felt I could die feeling satisfied. But I'd much rather live with you. I hope we can always be together." She took his hand in hers.

"Aqune, you know that as long as I am emperor, my relationship with you as a human will be complicated," Buguese replied. "But not something I can't manage."

"Even if no one can ever know, I don't mind," Aqune answered. "I'm happy just being beside you. I think that's what I've always wanted."

That Aqune, whom he'd always watched and admired, had found happiness with him must have been another miraculous blessing, Buguese thought. He never wanted to lose this, either.

Buguese answered her, planting a soft kiss on her lips.


End file.
